Today I wanted to write about changes that come about with age.  Let’s first begin with the  Demographics of Aging:

Americans are getting older and living longer
life expectancy varies by gender and race
excess cost growth with increasing population aging
Unfortunately, we all will get older, and as we do, the risks for some issues get higher as well, and that brings me to the next section

The Leading Causes of Death in Older Adults are:

• Heart Diseases
• Malignant Neoplasms
• Cerebrovascular diseases
• COPD
• Alzheimer's
• Diabetes

As we get older, there are cardiovascular changes that occur in our bodies. We often get increased blood pressure, slower heart recovery rate, and a diminished response to stress. Respiratory changes also occur, with an increased residual volume, a decrease in muscle strength, vital capacity, and endurance. There is also a decreased gas exchange, which diffuses capacity.

The Integumentary System changes that occur are a decreased intestinal fluid, muscle tone, sensory reception and glandular activity. There is a diminished secretion of natural oils and perspiration. The Reproductive System Changes in  Females is narrowing of the vagina, decreased elasticity, decreased vaginal secretions and slower sexual response. In males, the changes in the reproductive system are testes that are no longer firm, decreased sperm production and slower sexual response.

Musculature System Changes include loss of bone density, loss of muscle strength, and degenerated joint cartilage.

Listed below are some more changes that occur as we get older:

1. detrusor instability (urge incontinence)
2. urethral dysfunction (stress urinary incontinence)
3. decreased sense of thirst,  smell, and taste
4. decreased salivation
5. difficulty swallowing food
6. reduced cerebral circulation (faint, loses balance)
7. cant focus on close objects
8. inability to tolerate glare
9. difficulty adjusting to light intensity changes
10. high-frequency hearing difficulty
11. Presbycusis which is the decreased ability to hear high-pitched tones that naturally begins in midlife as result of irreversible inner ear change

Sources:

1. https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/winter07/articles/winter07pg10-13.html
2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-art-and-science-aging-well/201705/how-does-our-body-change-we-age-part-1
3. https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/tc/healthy-aging-normal-aging#1
4. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/aging/art-20046070

How old is old?

An elderly person is over the age of sixty-five. It is unfortunate, but aging is an unavoidable, steady progressive process that we all ultimately will go through. There is a branch called gerontology, which is the study of the aging process. Those who work in Geriatrics emphasis on health and disease of the elderly. There are also subfields of gerontology, which comprise geriatrics, social gerontology, gerontological rehab and more.

There are diverse stages when it comes to aging, and they are

Antepartum
Neonate
Infancy
Toddler
Child
Adolescence
Young Adult
Middle Age
Older Adult
Old Age
There are also sub-categories for the elderly such as

Young Old: Age: 65-74
Middle Old: 74-84
Old-Old: 85+

Sources:

• https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology/chapter/chapter13-aging-and-the-elderly
• http://www.gecac.org/programs-and-services/elderly-and-aging
• http://www.aging-parents-and-elder-care.com

The Sandwich Generation at 21: Club Sandwich

I am a part of the “sandwich generation.” The  “sandwich generation” is a group of people who care for aging parents while supporting their children.

The Pew Research Center states that one of each eight Americans who are between the age of  40 to 60 is raising a child and also caring for a parent

Some more stats (via the US Census Bureau)

• 7-10 million adults care for their relatives from a long distance.
• Americans who are 65 years old or older will double by the year 2030, to over 70 million.
• There are diverse variations, and they are listed below, but I wanted first to say that I am part of the club sandwich. I am 30 years old, taking care of two small children and my 93-year-old grandmother.

Kinds of sandwiches:

• Traditional sandwich generation refers to those sandwiched between aging parents who need care as well as helping their children.
• Club Sandwich refers to those in their 50’s or 60’s sandwiched between aging parents, adult children, and grandchildren. On the opposite end; it is where I fall in the mix, and it can also refer to those in their 30s and 40s, who have young children, aging parents, as well as grandparents.
• Open faced sandwich refers to anyone who is involved in the elder care.
• Sandwich generation was originally coined by Dorothy Miller and Elaine Brody in the year 1981 when they began their research.

It is some pretty thought-provoking stuff to look into if you are interested.

Sources:

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/01/30/the-sandwich-generation

http://www.sandwichgeneration.com