The ‘golden years’ are the best years for many senior people. It is the time of life when you can retire and enjoy the rest of your life. Additionally, with the major improvement in the medicine industry over the past 100 years, the life expectancy average has risen even higher for humans. However, just because we are living longer it doesn’t necessarily mean that the illnesses we once faced have gone away – it just means there are more ways we can combat them! With that in mind, to ensure you know how to prevent the 5 illnesses which are most common amongst seniors, take a look below.
Presbycusis
Presbycusis is the most common form of hearing loss which affects the elderly when they are aged 65 or over. It is so dangerous because it gradually happens over time – meaning it is difficult to realise that it is happening to you. It prevents you from hearing high-pitched sounds and noises which are far away from you. To combat the illness, you should go to the doctor for regular hearing check-ups and make sure you don’t expose yourself to close-range loud noise regularly with headphones.
Constipation
Difficulty going to the toilet is a problem which is faced by 26% of women and 16% of men who are aged over 65. A person is classed as being constipated when they are unable to pass their bowel movements more than 3 times in one week. The most common reasons for this is down to a lack of fibre, physical activity or dehydration. By trying to eat more fibre in the form of nuts or bread, drinking enough water and going on regular walks – it should be very helpful in being able to relive constipation.
Loss of Balance
A common issue which occurs with age is loss of balance, and it can be down to a variety of reasons. It is a side effect of a lot of medication, or there can be problems with the inner ear that make it difficult to gather your bearings when standing. This is problematic because if a senior person is on their own at home and they fall over, they may injure themselves and will be unable to get assistance. To help this there are assisted living machines which can track movement, and if you were to fall it will give an alert to a carer that there has been a lack of movement.
Heart Disease
As the body ages, it becomes more difficult for the heart to efficiently pump blood around the body. This lack of blood circulation is difficult and can lead to a heart attack, pain in the chest, feeling light headed or lack of breath. To help make sure that your heart stays in a good a condition as possible, it is recommended to try and reduce the amount of cholesterol in your diet and get regular exercise.
Diabetes
Although diabetes is an illness which people can get from a young age, the risk of getting it increases hugely as you get older – and there are over 25% of people aged over 60 who suffer from the disease. When someone has the illness, it means that the amount sugar or glucose in their blood is too high, which can cause lots of complications across the body. To try and prevent it the signs to look for are fatigue, feeling constantly thirsty or having blurred eyesight. Spotting the problems early can help with the illness becoming more severe than it needs to be.
Since technology is nearly touching every aspect of our lives, check the following apps that can help you as a senior.
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