5 Common Elderly Health Issues
Age is something that happens to everyone. It’s a natural process and there’s no reason to be scared or sad because of it. What is necessary, however, is to be aware of the changes that are happening. Inevitably, certain health issues and concerns are bound to appear as years pass us by. And, in order to recognize them and treat them on time, it’s important to know what they are.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis affects the joint bones thus causing pain and stiffness, and sometimes even swelling and difficulty moving. The symptoms of this issue can be minimized effectively with maintaining a healthy weight and regular exercising. Of course, it’s important to avoid high-impact workouts that can further damage the joints and opt for low-impact workouts such as swimming and walking.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis affects the bone mass. Essentially, our bones change constantly, with new bone replacing the old. But, once you hit a certain age, it can happen that there’s not enough new bone to replace the old one, or you may just lose too much of the old bone quickly. Because of this, bones in seniors can become weak and brittle. There’s adequate treatment for osteoporosis but unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle can speed it up. In general, introducing more calcium and vitamin D into your diet as well as core strengthening, and balancing exercises can help.
Sensory problems
The older you get the more likely you are to have some problems with vision and hearing. This doesn’t mean that every senior will experience this. Also, extreme vision and hearing losses are quite rare. But, poor vision and hearing, in general, are considered a common issue for elderly folks due to the degeneration of macula in the eyes and auditory nerve in the ear. These issues can sometimes be solved with proper vitamin intake. But, if the problem persists, medical treatment is readily available together with hearing and visual aids.
Cognitive health issues
Unfortunately, some seniors experience a decline in their cognitive health. The most common issue, in this case, is undoubtedly dementia, with almost 50 million people affected by it worldwide. There’s not a clear cause of dementia and other related issues such as Alzheimer’s disease. But, other health problems, as well as stress and the unhealthy lifestyle, are commonly associated with cognitive health problems as well. There is no cure for dementia, but there are treatments to manage the symptoms as well as professional dementia home care centers with highly trained staff who work hard to make the dementia-affected patients’ lives as enjoyable as possible.
Bladder control
Urinary incontinence is a common health issue in seniors, as the muscles don’t contract as strongly as before, as a consequence of aging. Moreover, other health concerns related to aging can contribute to bladder control problems as well. Urge, stress, overflow, and functional incontinence are the most common causes of this type of health issue. Obviously, poor bladder control can affect the seniors’ quality of life considerably. There are, fortunately, effective medical treatments for this problem, but other more natural alternatives also include healthy weight maintenance and regular exercising.
As we get older a number of changes are bound to happen. Skin changes will probably be the most obvious, with wrinkles, age spots and less elasticity fairly visible. But, it’s important to pay close attention to the symptoms of other common age-related health issues and lead a healthy and active lifestyle in order to keep the above-mentioned problems at bay for as long as possible, and maybe even completely avoid them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Diana Smith is a full-time mom interested in topics related to health and alternative medicine. In her free time, she enjoys exercising and preparing healthy meals for her family.
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