Ageing and Touch

Common wisdom indicates that sensory processes lose efficiency in old age. Glasses and hearing aids are a kind of standard aid for elderly people. Yet, in contrast to vision and hearing, the dramatic age-related deterioration of the sense of touch goes mostly unnoticed because there are no conditions such as reading newspapers or obtaining a driver license that would disclose an impairment of senses. As a result, the sense of touch and its vital role for coping with activities of daily living is widely underestimated. This entry discusses age effects on receptors and tactile perception, haptic perception, and treatability of age effects on touch.

Age Effects on Receptors

Touch perception is built on sensing through receptors, transmission through neurons at various stations along the sensory pathway, and ...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles