Reference no: EM133310012

Article: This chapter reviews some of the sensory and physical changes that accompany the aging process, especially with regard to day-to-day functioning. In reality, the vast majority of older adults manage their daily routines just fine. Persons who are affected by age-related health problems or who are living with the consequences of earlier poor lifestyle choices, are not likely to manage as well as their healthy counterparts. However, people with chronic health conditions or physical decline secondary to ill health can be surprisingly resilient and outperform the expectations placed upon them. As healthcare professionals, it is our responsibility to support them in making positive changes and to instill hope for their futures.

Highlights of the changes addressed in this chapter are as follows:

• Common visual diagnoses include decreased acuity, cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy; yet, the majority of older adults are able to maintain adequate visual skills (with correction) for the successful completion of daily tasks.
• Visual perceptual skills or the ability to interpret incoming visual information is more affected by disease processes (such as stroke) than by the aging process alone.
• Physical skills such as joint ROM, strength, endurance, reaction time, and motor coordination do change over the course of time, with older adults generally not performing as well as their younger counterparts. However, several measures can be taken to improve performance even among the oldest members of the population.
• Perhaps surprisingly, for various reasons, older workers tend to perform as well as or better than their younger counterparts. Retaining older workers is important for sustaining many organizations, yet relatively few organizations have strategies that encourage older workers to stay on the job.
• Sleep disorders are common among older adults, and several treatment techniques for improving quality and quantity of sleep are available for individuals needing help in this realm.