Aging can be intimidating—greying hair, wrinkles, forgetting where you parked the car. In addition to these issues, seniors also face a number of health concerns that can impact their quality of life.
In light of the fact that seniors account for 12% of the global population and are expected to reach 22% by 2050, ensuring a healthy future in your later years is just as important as securing a good financial future. Home care services are the best option for elderly people as they provide professional health services and assistance in the comfort of their homes.
Listed below are some of the most common health problems associated with aging:
Influenza
Your immune system is no longer as strong as it once was once you reach the age of 65. Most flu-related deaths and hospitalizations occur among seniors. Pneumonia, Sepsis, and other serious flu-related complications increase with age.
A yearly flu shot is required if you are over the age of 65.
Heart Disease
The risk of stroke and heart disease increases with age due to factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. As you get older, your heart may have to work harder to pump blood throughout your body. While some changes in the heart and circulation system are normal as we age, others can lead to heart disease and related issues such as heart attack and stroke. To avoid such complications, do some exercise, eat well, and get a good night’s sleep. Eating well entails eating in a way that allows you to maintain a healthy weight through a well-balanced and healthy diet.
Fragile Bones
Many seniors are terrified of falling. The aging process can have an effect on your balance, making you less steady and confident on your feet. Falls are especially dangerous if you have osteoporosis, which causes your bones to lose density and become more prone to breaks and fractures. Almost everyone gets it to some extent if they live long enough, but women over 50 are twice as likely as men to break a bone as a result of “brittle bone disease.”
Depression
According to research, older adults with depression often have less obvious symptoms and are less likely to express their sadness or despair. They are also more likely to suffer from depression if they have a physical illness or medical condition that can exacerbate symptoms. As a result, it’s critical to recognize the symptoms of depression in order to get the help you need. Depression can be treated with counseling, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, or a combination of these interventions.
Loss of Memory
Memory loss occurs as we age. Because the aging brain stores information in a slightly different way, recalling recent events becomes more difficult. So don’t be concerned if you can’t think of a name or can’t remember where you put your car keys.
What is abnormal is if you can’t remember simple things like how to follow directions or recipes or if you forget your way home. This could be an indication of more serious memory loss caused by a medical condition such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. If this is the case, your memory will most likely deteriorate over time.
Vision Loss
Seniors frequently experience age-related vision problems, most notably macular degeneration and glaucoma. In the case of macular degeneration, the macula, the part of the eye that allows you to see fine detail, begins to degrade over time. People in their 50s have a 2% risk of developing macular degeneration, but that risk rises to 30% once they reach 75. Glaucoma is a condition that causes an increase in fluid pressure inside the eye, causing gradual damage to the optic nerve. At first, there are no symptoms, but it can cause a gradual loss of peripheral vision and, eventually, direct vision.
Hearing Loss
The most popular type of hearing loss associated with aging is presbycusis, which reduces the ability to hear high-pitched sounds as it gradually declines. The second most common type is noise-induced hearing loss, which occurs when you are repeatedly exposed to loud sounds. The ability to hear high-frequency sounds is typically lost first in both cases. You may have difficulty hearing high-pitched consonants such as “S,” as well as the voices of women or children. Don’t let hearing loss prevent you from socializing with friends and family; instead, consult your doctor about getting regular hearing tests and using a hearing aid if necessary.
Balance Issues
People often complain about difficulty maintaining balance as they get older. While inner ear problems are frequently the cause, some balance issues are caused by medications or other medical conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and many more.
Sleep Problems
Sleep issues in our senior years require that we return to the 7 to 9 hours of daily shuteye that we had in our teens. According to research, most sleep problems are not caused by aging. Instead, it may be the result of medical or emotional conditions that develop as we age. Aging also has an impact on our sleep-wake cycle. It makes us sleepy earlier in the evening and wakes us up earlier in the morning. If you don’t get enough sleep after the age of 50, you’re more likely to have memory problems, pain, depression, and nighttime falls.
Important Advice:
As we get older, we notice more visible signs of aging, such as wrinkles, laugh lines, grey hair, etc. However, as we age, we may develop some health issues that are not as visible. If you notice any concerning health symptoms in a loved one, they could be signs of a more serious problem. Homecare services in Chennai provide professional doctors, therapists, and nurses who can assist seniors with both daily activities and medical issues.
