Issues Affecting Age

Aging is usually something that is meant with grim despair, no one want to be old. Reflecting on one's childhood they may have thought 30 or 40 was old, then they became 30 and 40 and that was not so bad. However, the aging process had already begun and yet there was more to go. Never-the-less, there are thing one can do to slow down the aging process with managing stress, eating a healthy diet, being active, and staying optimistic. One can truly age gracefully; understanding what the body is going through and how to manage the effects of it.

In late adulthood one can expect many changes to occur, these changes can affect the nervous system, sensory system, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, immune system, as well as appearance and mobility. These changes have to do with either the person's operating level of DNA, level of cells, or the level of tissues, organs, and the whole organism (Berk, 2010). DNA may provide a great weight on how one ages and the longevity of his or her life, this has been proven in studies that used twins as subjects. Telomeres are quite important to the aging process as well.

Telomeres (an enzyme) are important when it comes to cell division; the telomere is located at the end of a chromosome. The telomere acts as a defender for the chromosome against cell fusing or binding with other DNA (Stibich, 2007). Telomeres are important because the relay important information during cell duplication, however the more the cells are broken off the telomeres become shorter. The telomeres are more valuable to a person when they are longer meaning replication has not taken various times, the maximum duplication before shorting is 50 times. Thus, information is lost in translation--takes for instance a link that links up, links up, and links up, but each time a little piece of the link breaks off eventually the link will not be able to link up again correctly. With that being said the telomeres are important to the overall cell production process, and have a massive effect on the body's aging process. The body begins to loss cell production and one may perhaps anticipate changes in hormones, the nervous system, sensory system, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, immune system, as well as appearance and mobility.

Genes may not be the only thing that may have an influence on ones longevity, but surroundings may also affect the cells in one's body. Free radicals have been in question for the abnormal effects they may cause to the damage in cellular abnormalities. The free radicals in the oxygen are broken down and strip away from the natural function of the cell, thus taking away essential electrons that look to neighboring cellular material, including DNA, proteins, and fats essential for cell functioning (Berk, 2010). This breakdown then produces ill effects that may lead to diseases or disorders such as, cancer or neurological disorders.

Thankfully some of the aging can be helped through diet and fitness. Making the right decisions in one's life to nourish his or her body with the right nutrients can aid in the prevention of aging or disease. It has been proven that eating a diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids assists in guarding against mental disabilities (Berk, 2010). Regular exercise also supports the defense against aging. Exercise leads to stronger muscles, oxygen extraction to the blood, and blood circulation to the brain. Taking these steps can aid in the overall prevention of aging.

Memory is not a single cognitive process; memories are not stored in a single area of the brain. Memory is categorized by short-term - long-term, and by type. There are several factors that cause aging brains to experience a change in the brains ability to retain and retrieve memories. The hippocampus is particularly vulnerable to age related deterioration. There is the relative loss of neurons that comes with the aging process that affects the activity of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters and their receptors. Older people experience decreased blood flow to the brain and do not have the ability to process the nutrients that enhance brain activity. These physiological changes cause malfunctions in brain functions. (Helpguide.org)

There are four degrees of memory loss as a part of aging: normal forgetfulness, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, and conditions and lifestyle factors. Some examples of normal forgetfulness are forgetting names of friends, forgetting appointments, and becoming easily distracted. Mild cognitive impairment is when a person is unable to remember details of something that happened only a few minutes earlier, or trouble remembering things that have been known for a long length of time. Many elderly people have memory loss but are also able to complete their regular tasks. (Helpguide.org)

As the reading suggests, language and memory are very much related to one another. With language comprehension, people are able to recollect what was read or heard without being consciously aware of it. (Berk, 2010). Language comprehension does not change as a person ages as long as the person has the ability to process written words correctly. Older adults balance