Health hotline to tackle aging issues

Big changes occur in the body over the years, a normal result of aging.

Aging — from knowing what to expect to avoiding problems, guidance for those who provide care to older loved ones and medical issues — will be the topic during Saturday's Deseret Morning News/Intermountain Healthcare Hotline. From 10 a.m. to noon, Kip DeWeese and Helen Rollins will take phoned-in questions about aging. Rollins is the bereavement coordinator for the urban central hospitals at Intermountain and works with LDS Hospital's Spirit of Caring program. DeWeese is a nurse practitioner who specializes in geriatrics.

One challenge is knowing what's normal and what can be done to ease any problems, says DeWeese.

Most people 65 or older experience changes in the cardiovascular system, as the heart muscle weakens slightly and has to work a little harder. Pacemaker cells lose some of their sensitivity, and arteries and veins thicken. Cardiac output drops and so does the maximum heart rate, DeWeese says. Normal activities leave some fatigued or out of breath.

Exercise is important to maintain health as you age, he says, although it should always be undertaken in consultation with a health care provider. And DeWeese cautions people to talk with a health provider not only about what's happening but about anything that provider recommends in the way of heart tests or procedures. "You need to speak frankly with the provider to make sure the benefit outweighs the damage that might result."

Urinary problems are common, and they start younger than many of the age-related changes. "After age 40, people start to lose about 1 percent of renal function a year, so they have to be careful with salt in the diet and make sure they get adequate fluid," DeWeese says. Bladder capacity and muscle tone all diminish, which can lead to overactive bladder or incontinence. Treatments can help those issues.

Lung capacity drops as you age, and the chest wall muscles are not as strong. The thorax and vertebrae become rigid, and both muscle strength and endurance decrease. The fine hairs that line the pulmonary system also decrease, and mucus becomes drier, so it's harder to expel things the body wouldn't want to have, he says. That's why seniors are cautioned strongly about staying indoors on bad-air-quality days, particularly if they have respiratory problems.

Simple things like the arm swing that helps control gait and balance may diminish. People have decreased sensation of toe position, and nerves send messages slower, so balance becomes a problem.