Archive for the ‘Tips’ Category
Diabetes is something the elderly should avoid as much as possible. One of the main factors increasing the risk for diabetes is heavy weight. Below are some tips to consider:
- Check your body mass index (BMI) and waist size regularly. Although these are not perfect indicators of a healthy weight, they’re a good guide for most people.
- Think about what you’re eating. Choose a balanced diet that includes a mix of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.
- Commit to becoming more active, especially if you are sedentary now. Start slowly. Gradually increase how much you walk each day.
- Get your blood sugar checked. If it is slightly high, but not high enough for the diagnosis of diabetes, take action.
- If you are obese and have health problems related to excess weight (including diabetes), consider weight loss surgery.
The disease is a result of too much uric acid in the blood that the body fails to eliminate through urine. the excessive urates in the blood forms urate crystals in and around the joints that produces swelling and pain that can also be mistaken for arthritis. The pain becomes so unbearable that it can prevent movement of the affected joints so much that it restricts activity. Hyperurecimia is the name of the condition whereby the human body fails to eliminate the urates in the blood which leads to the disease but is easily corrected with the intake of uric acid expelling medication that enhances the ability of the body to expel such in the urine.
Memory loss is one of the trademarks of old age but new studies that engaging the mind in rigorous activities and getting it to work keeps it active and at pace with the world. Old age memory can be compared to an overloaded switchboard that prevents memories from getting stored. As far as research is concerned, memories are formed when neurons interconnect with each other, a process which slows down with age. Neurons halt or develop slowly as age takes hold with forgetfullness as a result. Stress, even at a younger age promotes the production of a chemical compound called cortisol that is harmful to the brain cells. Reducing stress thereby reduces the amount of he compound in the brain reducing the degenerative effects of age on the brain and body.
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 »
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Alzheimer’s disease damages the part of the brain involved in memory, problem solving, judgment, and behavior. It is the most common type of dementia in older adults. Alzheimer’s usually starts with memory loss. And it gets worse over a few years. Medicines may for a short time improve some of the thinking and memory problems but they don’t guarantee the cure of the disease and further improvement of memory. Over time, Alzheimer’s robs people the ability to take care of their selves. They may become confused and frightened and may strike out at others. You may wonder how to tell whether memory loss normal or related to Alzheimer’s. Early on, it’s not always clear. But here are some few warning signs that you can look for:
• Trouble learning or remembering new information.
• Trouble with familiar tasks like cooking a meal or driving a car.
• Problems with language and finding the right words to say.
The condition results in aches, pains and swelling in the joints and the areas immediately near them that it sometimes becomes too painful to move around. Gout is a more aggrevated form of arthritis but there are in fact a lot of types of arthritis to begin with but all of them have one thing in common which is the pain and swelling. More known as osteoarthritis, it mostly occur in people over 40 that have experienced excessive wear and tear of the joints and the bones within. Our bones have ends that are coated with a soft flexible material similar to collagen that acts as the main lubricant and brevents bone to bone contact. As one ages, the process of building and rebuilding the protective layer diminishes and results in inflammation due to bone contact. This is painful and debilitating without medication.
The disease has to do with the lubricating sac which sits in between major limb joints such as the ones in the knees and foot. It is a chronic disease and can even relust in the loss of function of the affected limb if not corrected. The areas between the joints of the bigger bones have a fluid sac (synovium) that contains synovial fluid that acts like the hydraulic fluid that fills shock absorbers on your car. This flud regulates and absorbs much of the forces that are excerted on the bones preventing them from contacting one another thus from damage. In rheumatoid arthritis, the synovial sac becomes inflammed and uncorrected can thin down so much it leaves the bones in contact with each other destroying the cartilage and bone in the process. The process of inflammation that is so characteristic of rheumatiod arthritis is not restricted to the bones but can also affect other organs in the human body.
As the human body ages, certain parts fail to repair themselves and you might be surprised to find out that hearing loss is 4 times more common than vision loss among the elderly. Conductive hearing loss results form excessive earwax that accumulates inside the ear canal preventing sound from travelling all the way through. There can also be some changes in the brain that causes this to occur and along with mechanical damage (results from trauma to the inner ear that is mostly irreversible) leding to deafness. Mechanical damage can happen to younger people as a result of injuries to the head or ear itself as with a foreign body that pierces the ear membrane that can cause an infection. Tinnitus is characterized by a distressing noise within the hearing system and its many parts that can be brought about by old age. Menieres Disease is worse than the previous for it has vertigo accompanying the hearing loss and deafening sound often resilting in imbalance. Most of the inner ear once damage is beyond repair except for some that can be operated on and corrected through mechanical means.
Just because someone’s old and retired, doesn’t mean he or she stops having fun! According to Dr. Graham Fry, a lecturer in tropical medicine, there are relatively few medical conditions that will hinder an elder person on going to a particular trip.
The problems start, when the elderly’s medical conditions are controlled by their environment’s temperature, climates, and altitude. Another problem would be the extreme humidity for the elderly with high blood pressure.
Here are some of the doctor’s tips: