There is no sharp distinction between the people in late adulthood and those in old age but the ageing calls for change in clothing requirements. Marked changes occur in the structure of elderly people that affects their physical activities, appearance and social participation. The physical and physiological changes that take place during old age are quite noticeable. These changes cause physical weakness, affect the posture, mobility and flexibility of the elderly and are responsible for the incidence of various health problems. The changes noticed in elderly people are as follows:
Alteration in the physique; body becomes shorter by progressive bending and shortening of the spinal column, a bowing of head, involution of the skeleton and degeneration of cartilage tissue.
development of deep noticeable wrinkles resulting in formation of folds on the eyelids, the nose, the forehead, below the chin to collar bone, hands and legs.
marked shifting of body fat takes place; fat cushions around the eyes and eyes ball decreases; profile of face features like nose, lips changes; cheekbones become more prominent and double chin develops and among men, deposition of fat cause an increase in the size of neck; sagging of muscle in the arms and legs makes them appear thinner
the facial parts thin out while abdomen and hips expand resulting in the widening of pelvic area, thickening of waistline and protruding abdomen
weight gain occurs commonly
brown spots due atrophy of skin cells; these spots appear on the hands and the face and become enlarged with age.
the hair of the head tends to become gray, thin and lose its luster while bodily hair increases and become coarser
skin changes cause quite a lot discomfort and harm to the older persons; it becomes dry, thin and inelastic due to loss of body water, skin tears and breaks more easily, increasing the possibilities of injury and infection
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