Common Aging Problems and How You Can Fix Them

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As you age, there are physiological changes that naturally occur in your body. The physical changes that happen when you age occur in almost every organ and affect your health and lifestyle. Various diseases and conditions become more prominent. Psychosocial issues can impact your mental and physical health as you get older. Luckily, regular exercise and a balanced diet can lead to better health outcomes in the elderly. Performing crucial preventive measures at home can help to improve the safety and health of the elderly. Here are some common aging problems and how to fix them.

Health Problems

As you age, your chances of experiencing health problems increase exponentially. You are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems, dementia, or even cancer. One common cardiovascular disease includes arteriosclerosis, where your blood vessels harden and become narrow due to loss of elasticity. Performing physical activity every day can help you lower the risk of heart disease and maintain a healthy weight. Ensure that you eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, high-fiber foods, and whole grains lean sources of protein. Avoid smoking as it increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Getting enough sleep and managing stress can help to improve the health of your heart.

Your skin also becomes more fragile and elastic as you age. This is due to decreased production of oils, making your skin drier. You may also develop age spots, wrinkles, and small growths known as skin tags. A person also starts losing hair on the head and going bald. However, this can be corrected with products such as a kiierr laser cap that give real hair growth.

Social Isolation

Older adults usually face social isolation, which is the total or partial lack of contact with other people. As you age, you start losing your friends and spouses, and your health deteriorates. Social isolation can lead to loneliness and the onset of late-life depression. People with pre-existing health problems can suffer greatly from social isolation since they are less likely to make the most of health and social services. Many homes for the elderly and retirement facilities are helping to deal with social isolation by increasing programming for the elderly.

Daily Living and Lifestyle Problems

Although most older people prefer to age in place, most of them require assistance with at least one activity of daily living. One of the areas where older adults may struggle is mobility and movement. Various objects, home designs, and community amenities do not cater to the elderly and can impede the movement, independence, and safety of the elderly. It is crucial that the elderly remain mobile and safe.

You can institute programs, products, and services that will enable the elderly to maximize strength, safety, fitness, balance, mobility, and independence. This will help support their basic daily activities, pursue their passions, thrive, and engage their chosen lifestyle.

Prejudice and Elder Abuse

The discrimination of groups because of their age is known as ageism. It applies to all age groups, but the elderly are more susceptible to prejudice. This usually happens in the workplace or in the course of medical treatment. People generally assume stereotypes about the elderly to be true. One of the common stereotypes facing the elderly is that they are all in poor mental and physical health and lack psychological agility. They are also assumed to be more inflexible and poor drivers. In the course of medical treatment, the elderly are discriminated against due to stereotypes based on their age. Physicians usually believe that the elderly cannot understand medical terms thus do not explain to them their medical care.

Elder abuse refers to any abuse against an older person. Unfortunately, the perpetrators of this abuse are usually those entrusted to take care of them. Family members and friends typically commit domestic elderly abuse while employees at facilities that take care of elders commit institutional elder abuse. This abuse can lower the person’s quality of life by worsening psychological decline, increasing sense of helplessness, increasing dependency, risking malnutrition, or overmedication.

Financial Problems

Older people may suffer from financial problems, especially those who lack retirement funds. This can lead to homelessness and a lack of basic needs like food and clothing. There is a need for financial longevity with new opportunities for later life employment, better ways to prevent scams and fraud, and new models for planning and financing care.

Conclusion

The aging process is inevitable, but you can make changes that will improve your ability to lead an active life. This will enable you to spend more time with loved ones, do things that you enjoy and enhance the quality of life.