are more visible and occur over a short period of time. The rate of change also varies. Change will vary from person to person and will also be different for each body system.

The following descriptions explain physical changes that commonly occur with normal aging.

Reasons why these changes occur and methods that will help you to adjust to these alterations will also be outlined.

Aging often results in decreased ability to read small print or focus on near objects. This change in vision is due to the decreased flexibility of the lenses in the eyes.

Correction of the former can be achieved by wearing bifocal or reading glasses. Magnifiers will also help. See your eye specialist regularly. Other changes in vision are inability to tolerate bright light and glare. Wearing sunglasses or a wide brimmed hat can assist in coping with the glare. Your eyes will also take longer to adjust when going from a well lit room to a darker room. This decrease in the eyes ability to adjust is due to the lenses becoming uneven with aging.

The decrease in oxygen supply to parts of the eyes decreases one's ability to adapt to changes in light. This can be corrected by allowing yourself more time to adjust from light to dark environments.

Hearing is harder with aging. Loud noises become almost intolerable.

Additionally it is harder to hear in a crowd. Damage to nerves in the inner ear contribute to these alterations in hearing. Ask people to speak more slowly and not to shout. Look directly at the speaker.

Wax buildup can also cause hearing loss. Ask your doctor to check for wax buildup. High pitched noises are harder to hear than low pitched ones. If you are afflicted with the former use the hearing aid prescribed by a hearing specialist.

In crowds background noise interferes with the ability to interpret sounds. To cope with this decreased ability avoid crowds when possible. Try to converse one to one or in a small group.

Renewal of skin cells slows down with aging. This results in dry, fragile skin which bruises easily. Avoiding overexposure to the sun, hot water, wind or cold weather will prevent excessive dryness. Eliminating smoking, the use of strong soaps and drinking lots of water will also ensure good skin integrity.

Changes in skin pigment may be visible in the form of blemishes or "liver spots''. The skin's loss of elasticity and the reduction in the fatty layer under the skin may lead to wrinkles. The use of mild soaps and moisturisers and other good skin care practices will decrease the occurrence of wrinkles.

Muscles, joints and bones alter in their strength and mobility with age.

Strength is deceased due to the loss of muscle mass. Regular exercise will enable you to maintain your strength. The stiffness in your joints due to "wearing out'' of the joints can be minimised by daily rotating of all joints.

Bones become more porous and brittle, especially in women. Older adults often worry about falling and breaking their bones. Exercise will enable your bones to maintain their density. A diet with adequate amounts of calcium will also help. Ensuring that your environment is safe by avoiding scatter rugs will decrease the occurrence of falls as will wearing proper shoes.

Finally bowel and bladder changes are part of normal aging. Constipation is always a concern throughout the lifespan. However, movement of food wastes through the bowel generally slows down as we age. Daily bowel movements are not necessary and remember some irregularity is normal.

To maintain good bowel movements increase the amount of fibre and water in your diet. Avoid strong laxatives. See your physician for chronic constipation.

Incontinence is not inevitable with aging. It may be temporary due to infection, illness or loss of muscle control. Consult your health care provider to determine the cause. Infection can be detected and exercises given to retrain your bladder.

Remember knowing what body changes to expect as we age, why they occur and what we can do to control and decrease their occurrence will enable us to make adjustments and accommodations to our changing health so that our older years can be enjoyed more fully. J. Lightbourne Chief Nursing Officer.