Effects of Ageing

What is it?

• Heart can increase in size, making the heart wall thicken.
  • This means it is more difficult for the heart muscles to relax and fill with blood between breaths.
• Artery walls can narrow, due to cholesterol building up.
  • This means it is more difficult for blood to pass through.
• Pacemaker cells decrease, which cause problems with the heart rhythms.
• The valves inside the heart also thicken and become stiffer.

Factors Affecting Cardiovascular Health in Older Age

• Genetic Inheritance
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Smoking/alcohol consumption
• Lack of exercise
• Poor diet

What is it?

• The loss of neurons in the brain, leading to a decrease in the capacity of the brain to send and receive nerve impulses.

What Does it Cause?

• Increase in time taken to react
• Difficulty in receiving and processing information
• Reduction in reflexes and movement
• Effects on senses
• Decline in verbal capability
• Decline in short-term memory