Final answer:
Cognitive changes in older adults involve difficulties with information retrieval, which can be affected by age-related sensory changes, diseases, and other factors. Episodic memory retrieval can become particularly challenging, leading to issues in daily living and an increased risk of dementia like Alzheimer's disease.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cognition changes in the older adult can be summarized as the alteration in the ability to focus on information intake, storage, processing, and retrieval. These cognitive processes can be affected by various factors such as sensory changes, diseases associated with age, pain, sleep deprivation, medication, and environmental and nutritional elements. Issues with episodic memory, which is the recall of personal experiences and specific events, retrieval can become more challenging for older adults, potentially leading to difficulties in daily functioning and an increased risk of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease.