Sensory Changes

what happens to the hair with aging

hair grows more slowly and becomes finer

when does graying begin in white, asian, and black adults

white adults - mid 30s

asian adults - late 30s

black adults - mid 40s

what happens to height with aging

decreases by about 1cm every 12 years from age 38-54, then 2.4cm lost over the following 12 years

what happens to the nose and ears with aging

they lengthen and widen

what type of posture is seen in older adults

more of a flexed position (kyphotic) with hands behind their back

what happens to total body water, muscle, and bone with age

they all decrease

what is sarcopenia

age-related loss of muscle mass and strength

what happens to body fat with age

it increases

where is more body fat stored in older women

stored in the abdomen

what is the function of rods in the eye

black and white, respond in dim light

what is the function of cones in the eye

color vision, responds to bright light and packed in the fovea

what happens to rods and cones with aging

rods decrease, cones utilized more

what happens to the lens of the eye when looking at a distant object

lens flattens

what happens to the lens of the eye when looking at a near object

lens rounds up

what is presbyopia

age-related change to vision where adults can no longer see up close --> due to a stiffer lens

what are cataracts, its symptoms, and treatment

clouding of lens --> vision becomes dim, blurry, yellowed, glare --> surgery replaces lens

what is glaucoma, its symptoms, and treatment

optic nerve damage from increased eye pressure --> loss of peripheral vision first without symptoms --> eye drops, laser surgery

can you restore lost vision in glaucoma

no

what is macular degeneration, its symptoms, and treatment

macula damaged --> central vision lost --> injections or drugs

what are ways we can accommodate older adults with vision changes

magnifiers, large print, avoid pale colors, reduce glare, night lights

true or false: these three vision pathologies are normal age changes

false! they are not normal, just common diagnoses seen in older adults

what is presbycusis

age-related hearing loss

what are the two types of presbycusis

sensory and neural

what is sensory presbycusis

atrophy and degeneration of the hair cells in the inner ear

what happens in sensory presbycusis

- high frequency sounds lost first

- speech cannot be discriminated, so comprehension suffers

what helps with early sensory presbycusis

hearing aids

what is neural presbycusis

loss of auditory fibers

what happens in neural presbycusis

- cannot distinguish speech

- can hear pure tones

what helps with neural presbycusis

cochlear implants

what four things make listening harded

- rate of speech

- background sounds

- vowels vs consonants

- tinnitus

true or false: hearing loss is a modifiable dementia risk factor

true

what four things happen to skin with age

drier, less elastic, less perfused, more vulnerable to damage

what is xerosis

dry skin

what is pruritus

itchy skin

why are older adults at greater risk of pressure injuries and shearing forces

loss of collagen/elastin in the dermis and slower healing

what is the function of merkel cells and what happens to them with age

light touch --> do not change with age

what is the function of meissner's corpuscles and what happens to them with age

light touch and vibration --> decrease with age

what is the function of pacinian corpuscles and what happens to them with age

vibration and deep pressure --> decrease with age

what is the function of ruffini endings and what happens to them with age

warmth --> decrease with age

what is the function of free nerve endings and what happens to them with age

pain and temperature --> decrease with age

what five sensory tests are performed during a neuro exam

two point discrimination - able to feel both points

stereognosis - identify object by touch

graphesthesia - recognizing writing on skin

proprioception - joint position

kinesthesia - sense of movement

what happens to ankle proprioception with older age

ankle proprioception worsens

what is typical ankle dorsiflexion in younger vs older adults

younger adults - 20 deg

older adults - 10 deg

true or false: reduced ankle dorsiflexion makes the loss of ankle proprioception worse

true

what type of touch is best used as an intervention

brief, frequent touch

what happens to smell with age

begin to lose sense of smell

what are the concerns of decreased smell

safety concerns --> harder to detect smoke, spoiled food

what happens to taste with age

lose sense of taste (linked to sense of smell)

do older adults need high or lower concentrations in order to detect sweet and salty foods

higher concentrations