Flu symptoms are alike, no matter what the age bracket. In seniors, however, a bout of the flu can lead to lengthy hospitals stays and may even be fatal. Older people are significantly more vulnerable to flu-related complications, like pneumonia, dehydration and the worsening of chronic ailments. The increased health risk in seniors is due to this age group’s decreased…
A Senior Journal story related the fact that more than half of older Americans – those age 45 through 75 – take an aspirin every day, even though this use is not recommended by the Food and Drug Administration for most people who have not yet had a heart attack or stroke. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine quotes a…
In the old days, seniors who were suffering from arthritis were advised to take it easy. Sit down most of the day so as not to stress your joints, well-meaning doctors would say. Sit in a rocking chair for easy, soothing motion, at the most. Rest your joints. If it hurts, don’t do it. We know now that this was…
Your eyesight might not be what it used to be or the dinners that you once made without needing the recipe are harder to remember. As people age, their needs become a little greater, even with things that they once took for granted. But it is very important, especially as we age, that we be aware of what we are…
Did you know that March 22 is American Diabetes Alert Day? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 million people in the United States have diabetes. That is 9.3 percent of all Americans! Most of those cases involve type 2 diabetes, which is preventable. Diabetes.org has identified that almost 26 percent of seniors over age 65 has…
By Richard Ueberfluss More than 50 percent of women and 25 percent of men over fifty will suffer from an osteoporosis-related fracture. Osteoporosis occurs when bone breaks down faster than it is replenished, leaving the skeleton porous and brittle. Women lose bone density more rapidly during menopause, so they are more susceptible to osteoporosis than men. Multiple medications, poor vision…
Are your elderly parents getting the sleep they need? Have you ever tried to fall asleep but just couldn’t? Or have you fallen asleep just to wake up in the middle of the night and then you can’t fall asleep until just before the alarm goes off? Are you staying awake to care for elderly parents? Sleep is such an…
According to the U.S. Census Bureau 11 million, or 28% of people aged 65 and older, lived alone in 2010. As people get older, their likelihood of living alone only increases. Additionally, more and older adults do not have children, reports the AARP, and that means fewer family members to provide company and care as those adults become seniors. According to a 2012 study…
By Richard Ueberfluss Clinical depression in the elderly is common. That doesn’t mean it’s normal. Late-life depression affects about 6 million Americans age 65 and older. But only 10% receive treatment for depression. The likely reason is that the elderly often display symptoms of depression differently. Depression in the elderly is also frequently confused with the effects of multiple illnesses…
By Richard Ueberfluss Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones that happens when you lose too much bone, make too little bone or both. As a result, your bones become weak and may break from a minor fall or, in serious cases, even from sneezing or bumping into furniture. Although osteoporosis is more common as people age and family history can raise your…
