Biology of aging

Biology of aging.

Aging physiology

Physiologic changes caused by aging reduce biology functions of body adopting the metabolic processes. Physiologic changes are usually accompanied by psychological and behavioural variations. As a matter of fact biological aspects of aging include health deterioration. People at elderly age are defenceless towards many illnesses caused by immune system efficiency impairing. Conditionally such illnesses can be named as “elderly illnesses”. For example, a young man can easily recover after pneumonia, whereas for elderly person this disease can cause death.

Such organs as heart, kidney, brain, lungs lose its efficiency with aging. Partially it is caused by the loss of cells and the lack of cells recovery. In addition, some cellular enzymes lose their efficiency as well. Therefore we see the aging processes are taking place at all levels.

Aging psychology

Visible brain activity slows with aging and produces an effect towards short-term memory and quick reaction capability. These both factors limit the opportunity to act efficient inside the society. Nevertheless, if an elderly person is given enough time to perform a task, he could be close to younger generations in terms of result. The tasks which require vocabulary knowledge, activity and general information are not so difficult to perform for an old person. One hardly will notice any difference between young and old at this stage.

The deterioration of educational capability and as a consequence decreasing of knowledge level in the modern world is another important psychology aging factor.

Experimental research shows elderly people enabling to assimilate information as well as the young ones despite on the speed of educational processes. The more difficult are the disciplines the diverse are tutorial methods.

In addition, elderly people aim to behave more efficiently by focusing the task and decreasing social contacts. Such behavioural models should not be taken as aging effect, but as society and social standards impact.

Many people going through the “successful aging” endeavour to support their brain activity via continuous educational process and broadening the social contacts with younger age groups.