Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Effect of Aging on Tissues01:19

The Effect of Aging on Tissues

Several body functions deteriorate with age. The external signs of aging are easily identifiable. For example, the skin becomes dry, less elastic, and thins out, forming wrinkles. The skin of the face begins to appear looser due to a decrease in the levels of elastic and collagen fibers in the connective tissue. Additionally, melanin production in the hair follicle decreases with age, resulting in gray hair. Moreover, the senses of sight and hearing decline, so glasses and hearing aids may...
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age01:27

Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption01:22

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption

As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients01:15

Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients

Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
Aging01:26

Aging

Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution01:00

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the human body is influenced by several factors, including plasma protein concentration, body composition, blood flow, tissue-protein concentration, and tissue fluid pH. Among these, changes in plasma protein concentration and body composition due to aging significantly affect how drugs are distributed within the body. Specifically, aging is associated with a decrease in albumin levels by about 10% and an increase in α1-acid glycoprotein levels. These alterations are not...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Undiagnosed dementia and mortality among older adults in the United States and Brazil: A cross-national cohort study.

Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association·2026
Same author

Healthy ageing in urban settings: neighbourhood environments modify the association between intrinsic capacity and social participation among older adults in Brazil.

Age and ageing·2026
Same author

Two Brief Steps, Better Foresight: Cognitive Screening and Adverse Outcomes in Older Adults Admitted From the Emergency Department.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
Same author

Frailty and Days at Home After Ovarian Cancer Surgery- A Patient-Centered Outcome for Older Adults.

Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN·2026
Same author

Bedside cognitive screening to detect dementia and predict poor outcomes in hospitals.

Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association·2026
Same author

Geriatric Syndromes and Mortality Among Hospitalized Older Adults.

JAMA network open·2026
Same journal

Practice Environment and Job Outcomes Among Primary Care Nurse Practitioners Caring for Patients With Dementia.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
Same journal

Anticholinergic Medication Use in Veterans Affairs Long-Term Care Residents: Clinical Patterns and Opportunities for Deprescribing.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
Same journal

Perioperative Transfusion Trigger Score Versus Restrictive Transfusion in Older Non-Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
Same journal

Stakeholder Perspectives on the Use of Telehealth to Support Deprescribing for Older Patients Transitioning From the Hospital to Home Health Care.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
Same journal

Understanding the Meaning of a Good Death for People Living With Parkinson's Disease: Qualitative Study.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
Same journal

Dying in the Desired Location-Findings From the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
06:52

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit

Published on: September 30, 2020

Pain, functional limitations, and aging.

Kenneth E Covinsky1, Karla Lindquist, Dorothy D Dunlop

  • 1Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, 4150 Clement, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA. covinsky@medicine.ucsf.edu

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|August 18, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Significant pain is linked to functional limitations, accelerating age-associated declines. This study found that individuals experiencing moderate to severe pain exhibit functional limitations comparable to those two to three decades older.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
06:52

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit

Published on: September 30, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Pain Management
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Functional limitations are a hallmark of aging.
  • The impact of significant pain on functional status across the adult lifespan is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between significant pain and functional limitations in adults aged 50 and older.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of 18,531 participants from the 2004 Health and Retirement Study (HRS).
  • Pain was defined as moderate to severe pain experienced most of the time.
  • Functional limitations were assessed across mobility, stair climbing, upper extremity tasks, and activities of daily living (ADL).

Main Results:

  • Twenty-four percent of participants reported significant pain.
  • Individuals with significant pain demonstrated substantially higher rates of functional limitations across all measured domains compared to those without pain.
  • Pain was associated with functional limitations equivalent to aging 20-30 years, even after adjusting for covariates.

Conclusions:

  • Significant pain accelerates the development of functional limitations typically associated with advanced aging.
  • Interventions targeting pain management may help mitigate premature functional decline in older adults.