As we grow up we realize that our bodies and minds will grow and change in some ways we don’t want them to. Our bodies will change as the years change, and like your mom and pop you will be getting old. Today, older people are living longer thanks to their increasing awareness of physical activity. As we age our bodies go through a gradual process of aging, this process affects our inwards and outward appearance and many of our abilities to remain energetic or slow down. According to Markson & Stein, “Various sensory changes in vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch occur as we get older”. The Living Body video, gives us greater insight of what happens as we age and the importance of maintaining a healthy life. The video tells us that some people feel old in their 50s and some are physically and mentally active up to the age of 90. That’s all well and good but still, as we age our bodies will slow down in speed and we become less efficient. Many disabilities comes with age, and visit to see a physicians are more frequent.
As healthcare providers we look at the history of our patients, their gender, race, and culture to help those suffering with chronic illness. Like with some genders, the likelihood of suffering from a chronic disease illness varies by race and ethnicity. Potentially serious chronic disease with the highest prevalence among whites are (in rank order): (a) highblood pressure, (b) arthritis, and (c) heart disease and cancer. Among ties both Blacks and Hispanics, the prevalence (in rank order) is: (a) hypertension, (b) arthritis, and (c) diabetes (National Center for Health Statistic, 2012). Our text book tells us that racial inequality can influence the type of treatment received, this is why “Blacks live fewer years on average than Whites and live more years with chronic health problems.
Chronic disabilities still remain the number one reason for functional disabilities. As we age the human body goes through a process of slowing...