What is a Frail person
We called those very ill people that and those people who can’t do anything for themselves , as the body ages , the body systems also change through the process of degeneration .We really need to take good care of those elderly people .
The ageing process
Skin
Hair
The bones
The muscles
The respiratory process
The cardio-Vascular system
The Nervous system
Metabolism
Sexuality
Vision
Hearing
Skin
Wrinkled
Dry
Affected by nutrition , hormones, sun exposure , and heredity
Loss of fat layers causes skin to bruise more easily, usually get bed sores and causes a person to become cold more often .
Losers fat layers , oil glands and elasticity
Hair
Thins out
Loses of pigment makes hair to gray
The Bones
At the age of 35 , men and women begin to lose bone density due to the loss of calcium
This always leads to :
A reduction of height and changes in posture.
Possible spontaneous bon fractures
Osteoporosis, lack of calcium the bones tend to make sounds
Arthritis ,the inflammation of the joints ,is very common condition among the elderly.
Types:
Osteoarthritis which is the wearing away of joint cartilage.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease of the connective tissues.
The Muscles
The respiratory process
The cardio-Vascular system
The Nervous system
Metabolism
Sexuality
Vision
Hearing
The Respiratory System
These changes that result in decreased stamina , shortness of breath and reduced oxygen levels can increase feelings of anxiety.
This can be worse if the person smokes or has lived in an heavily polluted area.
Airways and lungs tissue become less elastic , causing more restricted breathing.
The intercostal muscles within the ribs cage that assist breathing, becoming weaker and make it difficult to take deep breathes and cough.
The Cardio-Vascular System
This is causing the decreasing of the size of the heart, and deposits of calcium to form in the heart valves, making valves hard and less flexible.
The elderly often experience the reduced of stamina ,since less oxygen is being exchanged making the person tired more often and more easily.
At the age of about 80 years old , people begin to experience less blood flow.
The Nervous System
Food is not broken down or absorbed as good as it is used to.
This can results in Vitamin B,C and K deficiencies and even malnutrition.
These vitamins deficiencies can cause a muscle cramping , bruising ,reduced appetite , mental confusion and illness.
This can result impaired swallowing and slower emptying of the stomach.
With aging there is reduction in digestive enzymes , saliva and taste buds.
Metabolism
Metabolism is the rate at which food is changed into energy to be use by the body.
Food and medication are absorbed well.
After age 25 , the human metabolism is reduced by 1% every year.
Sexuality
Both men and women need more stimulation to be aroused and to orgasm.
Sexual desire and performance may continue well into person’s 70s , 80s, and 90s
In women , virginal fluids productions are reduced .
Men experience less sperm production , reduced sensitivity and enlarged prostates.
Vision
An increase in nearsightedness requires more time to focus and makes s mall print harder or read.
The elderly requires at least three times the amount of illuminations see as well as a young person.
The Lens of the eye often thickens and yellow . This results in :
Increases sensitivity to glare
Decreased depth perception , and more difficulty seeing pastel colors , especially blue and green .
There is an increased incidence of cataracts , macular degeneration , glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy with age.
Hearing
Hearing loss is an invisible impairment.
Hearing loss is common among the elderly .
About 30% of the elderly have some hearing impairment.
The are changes to a bone and cochlear hair cells of the inner ear cause a decrease in sensitivity to high frequency tones and less ability to distinguish between similar pitches.