Cognitive changes and physical changes

Cognitive changes and physical changes

Cognitive changes and physical changes are likely to occur during adulthood stage. So many years of the human life cycle are spent during the adulthood period. Cognitive changes affect the memory and reasoning of adults. Loss of skin elasticity and diminished muscle reaction are some frequent physical changes among adults. At the late life, social, spiritual, work, and family factors play a critical role.

Physical and cognitive changes during adulthood vary from one person to another. At adulthood, senses tend to become less sensitive (Corder, 2019). The decline in hearing and vision is a common physical change at the late stage of human life. At the adolescent stage, human beings have very sharp eyesight and hearing capability. As human beings approach the adulthood age, hearing and vision capability decreases significantly. At adulthood stage, the immune system of human beings is weakened. During earlier years, human beings have a robust immune system. For instance, children recover quickly for any illness. However, for the adults, this is not the case. Adults are susceptible to diabetes and cancer because of weakened immunity. Also, at old age, respiratory problems are common among adults. Loss of skin elasticity is another common physical change among adults.

Numerous cognitive changes characterize adulthood. As human beings age, the functioning capability of the brain significantly reduces (Tucker, 2019). The mind plays a critical role in coordinating all the other body functions. As human beings age, the brain becomes less effective, resulting in memory loss. Adults may have a difficult time remembering some essential information because of memory loss. Also, adults cannot concentrate on listening to information for a long time. The rate of understanding new things and knowledge-based concepts is low among adults because of loss of semantic memory. Decreased ability to think and remember causes most of the adults to suffer from the neurocognitive disorder. Absent-mindedness is common among adults, which causes older people to develop a feeling of despair and depression.

Social, spiritual, work, and family factors play a vital role in the late-life of human beings. Spiritual life varies from one adult to another (Wong, 2018). Most of adults rely on religion in their late-life to explain most of the life phenomenon. Spiritual life shapes the values of adults. Social life allows older adults to live healthier lives free from the constraints of age. Grandparent role is a typical social role among adults in late life. As adults interact with their grandchildren, they remain physically and mentally active, which enables them to live a colorful and healthy life. As people approach their late life, they retire from professional duties. Retirement from work causes many people to suffer psychologically, especially when they don’t have another source of income. Older adults are firmly attached to their families. Family love helps older adults to overcome most of the life challenges. Clinical depression among adults may affect their interest in work, hobbies, sleep, and appetite. Although depression is closely related to sadness, many depressed adults do not feel sad. Depression in adults causes them to have a constant feeling of despair, while sadness causes the victims to have moments of happiness and grief.

In conclusion, numerous cognitive and physical changes occur at the adulthood stage. Loss of memory, absent-mindedness, and disability to remember information are common cognitive changes that occur among adults. Physical changes such as loss of skin elasticity, weakened immunity, and diminished hearing and vision are common among adults. Family, social, work, and spiritual factors determine the quality of life among older adults. Clinical depression and sadness are common among adults

References

Corder, K., Winpenny, E., Love, R., Brown, H. E., White, M., & Van Sluijs, E. (2019). Change   in physical activity from adolescence to early adulthood: a systematic review and meta-           analysis of longitudinal cohort studies. Br J Sports Med, 53(8), 496-503.

Tucker-Drob, E. M., Brandmaier, A. M., & Lindenberger, U. (2019). Coupled cognitive changes in adulthood: A meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 145(3), 273.

Wong, S., Pargament, K. I., & Faigin, C. A. (2018). Sustained by the sacred: Religious and          spiritual factors for resilience in adulthood and aging. In Resilience in Aging (pp. 191-   214). Springer, Cham.