Cancer is a debilitating disease and one that is to be reckoned with, afflicting millions all over the globe each year and resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. Now statistics in the US show that more than a million people suffering from the many forms of cancer are experiencing a huge decline in critical care they need to maintain a comfortable life due to increasing costs associated with health care in today’s recession wrecked world. This is the state of the health care industry that has been on the rocks for many years even with the recession still developing. The numeric figure shows that people who are in need of constant care don’t always have access to it or would rather skimp on their medication, treatment and check-ups to save on cash.
Most people know of the difficulties faced by people who are suffering from elderly psychological or psychogeriatric conditions. These people are quite demanding on themselves and would often like to live alone with some help such as a care-giver or nurse for company and other needs. If one lives with an elderly person suffering from such a condition, it is quite vital that the home be made as safe as possible for them for they may swing in and out of reasonable thinking that can cause accidents and even death. Locks on danger areas such as the garage or basement should be fitted that would allow other members of the household access for safety reasons. Read the rest of this entry »
This is result of studies of many elderly people who have maintained an active mental life even as they aged showing they were less likely to suffer from the many psychogeriatric conditions that plagued people of their age. Mental activity is similar to the muscular system with the body being a self-adapting system, what you don’t need tends to degrade with the body focusing on the ones you do need. Muscles that are used frequently tend to have better tone than ones you don’t and people who fail to exercise their brains into their old age would eventually have it degrade as well. Read the rest of this entry »
New research coming out of the scientific community is pointing out that the elderly are vulnerable to extreme weather and changes that may lead to life threatening complications. Elderly people have been found to have skin that is less sensitive to the changes in air temperature which may explain many deaths during cold weather and during heat waves. These findings have prompted health officials to put in place a monitoring system above the usual emergency numbers where elderly people can have themselves listed so they can be checked upon during extreme weather. Read the rest of this entry »
Elderly people usually suffer from farsightedness, which is evident when they hold reading materials far from their eyes. This condition is called presbyopia or the gradual loss of ability to focus on nearby objects.
Sewing and writing are tasks usually difficult for elderly people, due to their propensity to suffer from eyestrain. They are advised to do these activities in a well lit environment and must take short breaks so their eyes can rest.
Treatment of presbyopia can be either be the use of eye wear or surgery. There are a lot of choices in using eye wear, the reading glasses, the bifocal or progressive addition lenses (PALs), and the multifocal contact lenses. A new option available for elderly with presbyopia is surgery.
It is highly recommended to consult your eye doctor regularly for the best possible treatment options.
As with the previous post on heat waves which tackled the susceptibility of the aged from too much sun, it goes the same with cold weather. The story of an elderly man, a war veteran dying due to cut of electricity caused outrage within the community as the power company installed a current limiter due to past bills. The elderly man was found when a neighbor noticed the windows having frost from the inside prompting them to check on his home, resulting in them finding him dead frozen in the middle of winter. Such is the frailty of the elderly who cannot do much about extreme weather and with such cases, a few hours is all it took for him to pass away due to the biting cold. Hypothermia can kill but with the elderly it goes faster for their slow movements and atrophied muscles cannot shiver as much as they should to provide heat to the core of the body. Aging muscles, stiffening or blocked veigns and arteries also add to the problem which makes it easier for them to suffer with extreme weather.
The power company receives tons of complaints and criticism on their actions that had their people fail to notify the man that the device could be reset from the outside of the house which should have brought the power and heat back on. They should also have people who go around on a daily basis on such elderly folks who do fail to settle and get these devices installed to prevent a recurrence of the man’s ordeal. The power company has vowed to stop using the devices for now for as the weather gets wither hotter or colder, elderly people risk losing their lives in so short a time.
Similar to pneumonia that is common at any age, this is more common with older people who have less resistance than they used to especially those who are bed-ridden or have other mobility problems. The excretory functions of the body decreases with age as the muscles lose their fine-tuned capabilities. Pneumonia can be caused either by a viral or bacterial infection that results in bodily fluid flooding the lungs (blood, mucus, pus…etc.). Many other forms of the disease may result in a variety of symptoms and treatment varies among them. Early detection is the key and if caught early, it can be easily treated. For immobile or bed-ridden people, there are certain exercises and routines that should be performed to prevent the disease or allow healing. Lying down most of the day, the lungs tend to get easily irritated and infected so monitor properly and report any abnormalities in the breathing patterns so proper steps can be taken.
イメージ提供:marshfieldclinic.org
耳硬化症は中耳内の異常な骨の成長のことです。 耳のある部分が機能することを阻止します。 難聴の原因になることもあります。人によっては重症な難聴になることがあります。 耳硬化症はいかに聴覚を影響するのでしょうか。 耳硬化症はいろいろなタイプの難聴を起こします。 この病気に犯される耳の構造部分に大きく影響されます。 しかし通常、この病気は鎖状構造の最後の骨、あぶみ骨を犯します。 これは内耳の入り口または前庭窓付近にあります。 影響された骨は前庭窓のあぶみ骨を固定します。この部分は内耳に音波が通過する際、重要な場所です。 耳硬化症は伝音性の難聴を起こします。 このタイプの難聴は主に外耳の問題により起こります。 この症状はまたもう一つの難聴、感音難聴を起こすことがあります。 これは主に耳の感覚細胞と神経線維への損傷により起こります。
イメージ提供:acc-tv.com
夏の熱波は子供と大人、特に高齢者に影響を与えます。 私達の身体は通常、温度の上昇を発汗と蒸発でコントロールします。しかし歳を取ると、私達の身体のコントロール能力がだんだん低下します。極端な熱など、身体の温度変化の調節と感覚の能力は老化により減少します。熱波に影響される高齢者は心臓、腎臓、肺の疾患を持っていることがあります。疾患や病気のために取る薬が人々の発汗能力を低下させることがあります。長期間、高熱にさらされることで表れる症状は熱けいれん症、熱性疲労、熱射病などです。これらの症状を予防するためには、初めにするべきことで最も効率が良いのは水をたくさん飲むことです。これは失った水分を取り戻します。8カップの水でも不充分かもしれません。毎時間、２－４カップ飲むと脱水症を防げます。
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As you grow older, sleep patterns change dramatically. But you need not worry because this is a normal condition for older people. It is a fact that people over 50 years of age experience sleeping issues and gradually changes their everyday routine. When you get older, sleeping problems slowly become prominent. As is true with every other bodily functions which deteriorates in efficiency as time passes by. This is so because the production of melatonin in our brain decreases as we grow old. Melatonin is the bodily hormone that is directly responsible for regulating sleep at night. Thats why you may find yourself becoming sleepy even if its still 8 to 9 in the evening and find yourself awake as early as 4 in the morning.