Question

In: Psychology

Consider the effect of loss of cognitive functioning on an aging individual's social and emotional well-being....

Consider the effect of loss of cognitive functioning on an aging individual's social and emotional well-being. In your post, refer to the decrease in sensory information that is available for processes (e.g., hearing people, being able to see things in one's environment), the decreases in brain functioning due to atrophy and neuronal connectivity, and decreases in memory function (including the types of memory affected). Incorporate these considerations into how it may affect social interactions, and how the affected social dynamic may influence the emotional state of an aging individual. You may wish to entertain the essential role that memory plays in navigating life successfully, in general.

Solutions

Expert Solution

Ageing can indeed not be eschewed. It is inevitable. There are umpteen number of changes that take place during the process of ageing, from mentally to physically.

The evident physical effects on the body druing the ageing process are as follows:

1. Brain and Nervous system. The most affected part of the body is the brain and the nerves. As an individual grows older, the brain cells are ought to die. They are programmed in a way which effects the normal functioning of the nervous system which is responsible for all our reflex actions and the processes that take place within our body. It can lead to decline in memory, a silent stroke, being brain dead, or dementia.

2. Bones and Joints. The most common problem experienced by individuals during the aging process is having weak bones. The bones lose their density with time. With age, a little accident escalates the problem of bone recovery of an individual. A broken leg or a hip can put a person on bed rest for long while. The chances of recovering are sleek.

3. Eyes and Ears. Eyes and ears are the most significantly affected in the process of aging. Farsightedness is the most common problem experienced by older people. They have a problem seeing and reading objects that are very close to them. It makes it difficult for them to be able to perform any activities that include intricate details. They are unable to read small letters in the newspaper or be able to put a thread through a needle. Other problems like dry eyes, need for brighter light, changes in colour perception are accompanied.

Hearing ability also decreases with age. Accumulated earwax can be responsible for decline in a person's hearing ability. Also an age-associated hearing loss called 'presbycusis' may be responsible, which means inability to recognise high-pitched sounds. Something loud enough may not be enough for them to hear and comprehend. A hearing aid may come handy in order to accentuate the ability to hear.

4. Skin. It is the most visible physical effect on the body. A person would be said to be aging when his skin begins to look old. With age, the skin loses it's elasticity which results in droopy and wrinkly skin. The skin changes during the aging process as the body produces less collagen which is responsible in making the skin stronger and more elastic. An individual is able to recognise pain, or change in temperature due to the free nerve endings in the skin, But, older people are less sensitive to these changes as the number of nerve endings in the skin decreases.

It's not only physiological changes, but there are psychological changes as well. Dementia is a form of cognitive disorder. It is a syndrome with a combination of symptoms that affects the functioning of the brain. The primary requirement for diagnosis of Dementia is decline in memory and thinking which impairs an individual's routine life. Secondary symptoms includes language, communication, reasoning and judgment. It also affects their emotional state.

The most common type of Dementia is Alzheimer's. It affects nearly 70-80% of the population. The onset of Alzheimer's is usually after the age of 55. As an individual grows older, the probability of being affected by Alzheimer's doubles. Individuals with Alzheimer's have a serious difficulty in remembering. They remember things from their long term-memory, however, their short-term memory faces the brunt of the decline in their brain functioning. They cannot recall immediate events, simple events like, whether they had their meal, or took a medicine prescribed, keeping a track of their purse.

The major cause of Alzheimer's is brain death cells, which means failure in brain cells that causes the brain to shrink in size which disrupts it's normal functioning. The other causes for Alzeimer's are family history and genetics. Individuals with a family history of Alzheimer's are more likely to be affected by Alzheimer's than individuals with no such family history.

Ageing is indeed inevitable. The psychological and physiological changes can be difficult to cope up with. However, that's life.


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