Disability, residential mobility, and changes in living arrangements
Article Abstract:
Routine activities of daily living (ADLs) are sometimes difficult for the aged as they experience declines in their physical and mental abilities. Only a few studies have attempted to link this with residential mobility, or a person's change in residence from independent living to living with others or entering an institution. Once a person has sufficient difficulty negotiating his or her environment, the home location, household composition, or housing type may change. Some studies suggest that most elderly people actually do not change anything except their own psychological adaptation to changes in their physical and mental capabilities. Using data from a longitudinal study on aging, the patterns of changes in living arrangements in the elderly were examined in the context of their ability to perform ADLs; approximately 5,000 subjects were included. The data provided evidence that many elderly people do alter their living arrangements, and measurements of ADL disability are a good predictor of their tendency to do so. High ADL scores (indicating greater difficulty) in 1984 were predictive of institutionalization or moving in with others by 1986. Other factors that were important in determining the living situation in the near future were marital status, income, age, and sex. Those with spouses were less likely to require alternate living arrangements than those without, and men were more likely to require alternate living arrangements than women. Increase in age was a strong factor. It is suggested, therefore, that mobility and changes in living arrangements are associated with disability as measured by ability to perform ADLs, and that changes in disability are more significant than initial levels even if the initial levels are poor. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1991
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Effects of age-related changes in vision
Article Abstract:
Vision may be affected in old age by eye diseases that are more prevalent among the elderly, as well as by a decrease in contrast sensitivity that limits reading speed. However, it is not clear that reading difficulty is inevitable in old age. In order to determine whether reading performance deteriorates with age even for people with healthy eyes, the reading rates of 14 subjects aged 65 or over were compared with those of 16 subjects between the ages of 19 and 30 years. The differences in reading rates of old and young subjects were small, and occurred when the text was very small or very large, indicating that there is no cognitive (mental) explanation for deficits, because a cognitive deficit would produce a reduction of maximum reading speed. Other researchers have found comprehension to be normal when reading speed was 70 percent or less of a person's maximum rate, with no age-related difference in comprehension. Loss of contrast sensitivity would explain the deficits in reading the large and the small letters. A different explanation for age-related problems reading small and large characters is eye movement (oculomotor) limitations. If eye tracking is not smooth, reading will be more difficult. Prolonged visual persistence is another possible explanation. This means that the images that form last too long, smearing the letters, much as the pedal on a piano holds notes over and blends them. Enlarging normal-sized print for older readers with normal vision may hamper reading, but may benefit older readers with low vision. Bringing small print closer to the eyes will help, but may require lens correction. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1991
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Age-related changes of sympathetic outflow to muscles in humans
Article Abstract:
The sympathetic nervous system is part of the autonomic nervous system, which consists of nerves not under conscious control. One function of the sympathetic nervous system is participation in the control of blood pressure by activating smooth muscle within the blood vessels of skeletal muscle. The muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSA) can be measured. Studies have found that MSA increases when a person moves from a supine (lying down) to an upright position, and it decreases when weightlessness is simulated. It is thought that aging affects the sympathetic nervous system, although most studies examining this issue have been limited to using indirect means of measuring sympathetic nervous activity. This study examined MSA using a direct method for measuring it, to investigate whether aging affects it. Forty men, ranging in age from 18 to 75 years, were examined for MSA while in a supine position, in various postural positions, and while being active in a standing position. Results showed that MSA while at rest in a supine position was significantly lower for the younger subjects than for the older subjects. When activity was performed by head-up tilting, the MSA increased greatly in the younger subjects and to a lesser degree in the older subjects. During standing activity, the elderly subjects had significantly greater MSA than the younger men, but the differences were not as great as those found in the supine position. These results indicate that muscle sympathetic nerve activity at rest increases with age. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1991
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