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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

DPS CLASS 67: SA AKING PAGTANDA


WHAT DO WE EXPECT WHEN WE GET OLDER?

Looked in the mirror lately only to find a few more wrinkles and gray hairs? Those are just a few of the changes you're likely to notice as you get older. But what exactly is going on with your body? Here's what you can expect as you age.
Natural changes with age
Regardless of how long you live, time takes a toll on the organs and systems in your body. How and when this occurs is unique to you. Some typical changes to expect as you age include:



Cardiovascular system
Over time, your heart muscle becomes a less efficient pump, working harder to pump the same amount of blood through your body. Also, your blood vessels become less elastic. Hardened fatty deposits may form on the walls of your arteries (atherosclerosis), narrowing the passageway through the vessels. The natural loss of elasticity, in combination with atherosclerosis, makes your arteries stiffer, causing your heart to work even harder to pump blood through them. This can lead to high blood pressure (hypertension).

Bones, muscles and joints
Your bones reach their maximum mass between ages 25 and 35. As you age, your bones shrink in size and density. One consequence is that you might become shorter. Gradual loss of density weakens your bones and makes them more susceptible to fracture. Muscles, tendons and joints generally lose some strength and flexibility as you age.
Digestive system
Swallowing and the motions that automatically move digested food through your intestines slow down as you get older. The amount of surface area within your intestines diminishes slightly. The flow of secretions from your stomach, liver, pancreas and small intestine may decrease. These changes generally don't disrupt your digestive process, so you may never notice them. But you might notice more constipation.
Kidneys, bladder and urinary tract
With age, your kidneys become less efficient in removing waste from your bloodstream. Chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, and some medications can damage your kidneys further. About 30 percent of people age 65 and older experience a loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence). Incontinence can be caused by a number of health problems, such as obesity, frequent constipation and chronic cough.
Women are more likely than men to have incontinence. Women who've been through menopause might experience stress incontinence as the muscles around the opening of the bladder (the sphincter muscles) lose strength and bladder reflexes change. As estrogen levels decline, the tissue lining the tube through which urine passes (urethra) becomes thinner. Pelvic muscles become weaker, reducing bladder support.
In older men, incontinence is sometimes caused by an enlarged prostate, which can block the urethra. This makes it difficult to empty your bladder and can cause small amounts of urine to leak.
Brain and nervous system
The number of cells (neurons) in your brain decreases with age, and your memory becomes less efficient. However, in some areas of your brain, the number of connections between the cells increases, perhaps helping to compensate for the aging neurons and maintain brain function. Your reflexes tend to become slower. You also tend to become less coordinated.
Eyes
With age, your eyes are less able to produce tears, your retinas thin, and your lenses gradually turn yellow and become less clear. In your 40s, focusing on objects that are close up may become more difficult. Later, the colored portions of your eyes (irises) stiffen, making your pupils less responsive. This can make it more difficult to adapt to different levels of light. Other changes to your lenses can make you sensitive to glare, which presents a problem when driving at night. Cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration are the most common problems of aging eyes.
Ears
Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting adults who are middle-aged and older. One in three people older than 60 and half of all people older than 85 have significant hearing loss. Over the years, sounds and noise can damage the hair cells of your inner ears.
Also, the walls of your auditory canals thin, and your eardrums thicken. You may have difficulty hearing high frequencies. Some people find it difficult to follow a conversation in a crowded room. Changes in the inner ear or in the nerves attached to it, earwax buildup and various diseases can all affect your hearing.
Teeth
How your teeth and gums respond to age depends on how well you've cared for them over the years. But even if you're meticulous about brushing and flossing, you may notice that your mouth feels drier and your gums have pulled back (receded). Your teeth may darken slightly and become more brittle and easier to break.
Most adults can keep their natural teeth all of their lives. But with less saliva to wash away bacteria, your teeth and gums become slightly more vulnerable to decay and infection. If you've lost most or all of your natural teeth, you might use dentures or dental implants as a replacement.
Some older adults experience dry mouth (xerostomia), which can lead to tooth decay and infection. Dry mouth can also make speaking, swallowing and tasting difficult. Oral cancer is more common among older adults. Your dentist checks for oral cancer when you go for regular cleanings and checkups.
Skin, nails and hair
With age, your skin thins and becomes less elastic and more fragile. You'll likely notice that you bruise more easily. Decreased production of natural oils may make your skin drier and more wrinkled. Age spots can occur, and skin tags are more common. Your nails grow at about half the pace they once did. Your hair may gray and thin. In addition, you likely perspire less — making it harder to stay cool in high temperatures and putting you at increased risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
How fast your skin ages depends on many factors. The most significant factor is sun exposure over the years. The more sun your skin has been exposed to, the more damage you may attain. Smoking adds to skin damage, such as wrinkles. Skin cancer also is a concern as you age. You have a 40 percent to 50 percent chance of getting skin cancer at least once by the time you reach 65.
Sleep
Sleep needs change little throughout adulthood. If you need six hours of sleep nightly, chances are you'll always need six hours — give or take 30 minutes. However, as you age, you'll likely find that you sleep less soundly, meaning you'll need to spend more time in bed to get the same amount of sleep. By age 75, some people find that they're waking up several times each night.
Weight
As you age, maintaining a healthy weight — or losing weight if you're overweight — may be more difficult. Your metabolism generally slows, meaning that your body burns fewer calories. Calories that were once used to meet your daily energy needs instead are stored as fat. Your level of activity may decrease, resulting in unwanted weight gain.
Sexuality
With age, sexual needs, patterns and performance may change. Women's vaginas tend to shrink and narrow, and the walls become less elastic. Vaginal dryness is a problem. All of this can make sex painful.
Impotence becomes more common in men as they age. By the time they're 65, up to one in four men have difficulty getting or keeping an erection about one in every four times they have sex. In others, it may take longer to get an erection, and it may not be as firm as it used to be.
How long can you live?
The longest documented human life span is 122 years. Though a life span that long is rare, improvements in medicine, science and technology during the last century have helped more people live longer, healthier lives. If you were born in the early 1900s in the United States, your life expectancy was only about 50 years. Today it's around 77.
And if you're sure you've already done too much damage to yourself to hope for a long life, think again. Researchers say it's never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle. For example, if you quit smoking now, your risk of heart disease begins to fall almost immediately. Living a healthy lifestyle can improve how you age. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and getting out for a daily walk are ways you can begin preparing now for your later years.

6 comments:

Daet Parochial School Class 67 said...

Hi Toti,

I posted that article about what to expect... at 2:15 am. Orlando time. I dosed off while watching TV at around 11:30 pm and by 1:00 am., I was widely awake and can't go back to sleep. When that happens, I go back to my desktop computer and start browsing the internet and most of the time, I looked for articles that might give me explanations why I feel melancholic, depressed, lonely, etc., when there is no actual reason to feel that way (I think). By the way, add the 'over-sensitive' symptom that I get when dealing with my adult children who used to look at me as an 'angel' when they were young and now considers you a 'devil' crashing in on their life. I hope that Men's Sa Aking Pagtanda, will have an English interpretation so that those children who can't understand Tagalog like mine, will be able to read and learn from it. Mabuti na lang napagtiyagaan mong basahin ang postings ko. Next time, I will post something on a happier mode, not discussing our being 'golden boys and girls'. Regards and take care always.

Danny

Daet Parochial School Class 67 said...

thanks, Danny, for this informative article. a good medical or scientific footnote to Men's "sa aking pagtanda".

Tess, sino ba and nakaimbento nitong 'aging'? killjoy, no? sana lagi na lang bata, mas masaya! he..he.!

but indeed that painful reality will come, if not
already knocking at our doorstep...
whether we're reluctant to accept or not .. we know it's something we have to contend with,
sooner than later. so it's good to know the ins and outs of it. so that we can cushion whatever
impact..

and Danny, when we feel suddenly "melancholic, or depressed or sad" without reason, as you put it,
we know it;s natural, and at one time or another we're all gonna experience it.
maybe the more reason we have to continue our communication or
'bonding' . maybe it would be less difficult or less lonely if we bond together
and affront this matter of aging collectively, rather than by our lonesome! !

come on guys, let's battle aging together!
united, we'll be happy,
divided, we'll be lonely!
Men, would you want to translate it?


Danny, now let's get on to a lighter, less scary and merrier article...

cheers!
Bert

Dan dela Fuente said...

Hi Bert,
Agreed! Sun is up(although it will be 94 degrees F here today), but I can hear the fairways calling me, so goodbye melancholy or depression or loneliness or whatever your name is - I'm off to a 12:30 tee time. HOT! HOT! HOT! I think Bert you have to be crazy to be out in the golf course this time but... you can call me crazy, he,he.
Oh by the way, check my group's website - there are links for golf instructions and also the nice golf courses there. Actually, I just got appointed as a new Board of Director of our club. They said I'm dedicated. Of course, scores have nothing to do with my being selected, especially the first half of this year. I'm not getting good scores. Although this year, we are playing courses with slope rating of 130 and 6600+ yds. minimum. Here is the website:
http:\\www.pagacf.com
This coming Saturday and Sunday, we will play at the tournament organized by Fil-Am of South Florida. It will be in Ft. Lauderdale and Boca Raton. I'll be in Class C with 22.8 HCP.
Now, this is light, right? Regards to you all.

Men Venida-Abot said...

Bert/Toti/Insan,

Amen to that!

Gosh Insan, ang liit ko na nga, liliit pa. Konti na lang ang diperensiya ko sa midget, ah! But thank you for sharing. Truth hurts, but let's face it, we're on our way there.

Bert, here's my interpretation -Pag may pagkakaisa, may saya,
paghati-hati(divided) may pighati.
hehehe

Men

Daet Parochial School Class 67 said...

hindi lang pala interpreter si men, MAKATA pa.

Eto naman ang dagdag ko:
If you are not true to your teeth,
some day they will be false to you.

toti

Men Venida-Abot said...

Toti,

pag hindi ka totoo sa mga ngipin mo,

balang araw, sila ay magiging pustiso mo,

hahaha!

(we seldom use these words at the court, but i'm trying my best)

Men

Sor Victorina de la Providencia, Mother Superior of Daet Parochial School

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