Aging of the sensory system: implications for functionality and quality of life

Authors

  • Maria Céu Lamas
  • Constança Paúl

Keywords:

sensory aging, vision, hearing, smell, touch

Abstract

Most people, as they age, undergo structural and functional changes in the sensory system which, depending on their severity, may limit independence and performance in activities of daily living and social participation. The aim of this review is to analyze the main sensory system dysfunctions, briefly focusing on the most common changes in each sense and their implications in the lives of older adults. A bibliographic search was conducted during December 2011 and January 2012 in the PubMed, Lilacs and Google Scholar databases, as well as in medical books, including cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on global or partial sensory aging. Sensory aging may have important psychological and social consequences, affecting intellectual functioning, and studies tend to explore changes in sensory function over time and in behavioral patterns of older adults

Author Biographies

Maria Céu Lamas

Hospital de Magalhães Lemos, E.P.E.; Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde do Porto – Instituto Politécnico do Porto; Unidade de Investigação e Formação sobre Adultos e Idosos (UNIFAI), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto; Centro de Investigação em Saúde e Ambiente (CISA), ESTSP-IPP, Portugal

Constança Paúl

Unidade de Investigação e Formação sobre Adultos e Idosos (UNIFAI), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Portugal

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Published

2026-01-06

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2013): Actas de Gerontologia [V Congresso Portuguesse de Avaliação e Intervenção em Gerontologia Social]

Section

Articles

License

Authors retain copyright and grant Actas de Gerontologia the right of first publication. Articles are published in open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits sharing, adaptation, and reuse of the content, provided that proper credit is given to the original authors and source.