*2.1.5 Summary of cognitive changes with age*

In summary, older people can be slower to respond, can have reductions in working memory capacity and computing span, problems switching attention, decline in visual field; episodic and autobiographical memories decrease most and aids for retrieval are needed; there is difficulty in moving onto new topics as inhibitory mechanisms cling to previous topic; less attention focus especially when tasks increase in number; situation awareness is worse with age; slower navigation skills. Memory is also negatively affected by emotion or stress but is improved by enriched environments. There are real reductions in every decade, although a steeper decline between 70 and 80; in contrast, vocabulary and knowledge-related measures rise slightly with age right up to 70 and then level off, and age makes no difference to recognition [3]. The plasticity of the brain, functional reorganization and compensatory increases in frontal lobe activation mean that the brain can change throughout life and there is evidence that these can be encouraged by interventions so many of these changes can be influenced for the better. There are problem of early undiagnosed pathological ageing diseases, affect working memory. Restricting insurance policies etc. should be done on the basis of testing visual field but not by age.
