What’s Normal and What To Expect When It Comes To Aging

Getting older comes with many changes in most people’s lives. These include mental, social, physical, emotional, and many others. Knowing which changes happen and how to prevent or take care of them is the first step in protecting your health as you age. Here are some of the more common changes to expect.

Bones

Bones thin and become brittle as we age. This is because we start losing bone faster than we can replace bone material, leading to brittleness and eventually weakness. The resulting condition is known as osteoporosis, and it increases your risk of bone breaks and other serious injuries.

Talk to your physician to get tested and discuss how to prevent osteoporosis as you age. Do not wait until you have a broken bone, which is typically the first symptom.

Digestive System

Your digestive system also slows down as you age. It does not contract as often and as much as it does in a younger person. This leads to several issues including nausea, stomach pain, and constipation.

All these symptoms are preventable by eating foods rich in fiber, remaining active, managing stress, and drinking lots of fluids.

Brain

Forgetfulness and some “brain fog” are very common as we get older. Other cognitive functions that change as we age include our ability to remember vast amounts of information, the ability to process new information or multitask. 

However, there are instances where occasional memory lapses are accompanied by confusion and extended memory lapses. That is not normal and is something that should be looked at by your doctor.

All these combined could point to early dementia and so it is a good idea to have a doctor test for it too. If you are diagnosed, you should start thinking about the future because you will require some care and help since it is a degenerative and progressive disease. While your loved ones will want to help, finding a long-term memory care facility University City MO is typically a much better option. You will get specialized care and help while enjoying great facilities and benefits like continued socialization.

Your Senses

Changes in the structure of different parts of the body can make you notice that your senses are not as sharp as they used to be. For example, changes in ear structure can lead to some hearing loss and also affect your balance. Your vision may dull, which will make things like driving harder, and you may need glasses.

Sensitivity to touch, pain, vibration, and pressure may also reduce, although the opposite does happen due to thinning skin.

All of these may sound gloomy, but they can all be managed by making a few changes and leveraging different technologies meant to help seniors deal with them.

The Skin

The skin loses its elasticity as we age, and this is why we form wrinkles. Protecting your skin as early as possible will reduce these changes. Using moisturizer and sunscreen when younger can help.

Conclusion

Our bodies inevitably change as we age. While this can seem like a gloomy predicament, knowing how it does allows us to be prepared to minimize the effects of these changes.