The Four Danger Illnesses in
Later Life
When you're young you never
give a thought to getting older, then all of a sudden you find yourself
looking in the mirror and saying, "Is that me, that older person looking
like my Mother, staring back at me". Yes, you've arrived at that
point when your body will start showing its age, you may feel 18 years
old in your head, but slowly the wear and tear of the years shows itself.
Many find that their weight
will increase as ‘middle age spread’ sets in, and you may have become less
active or your diet not as good as it should be, or the onset of some weight
and additional mobility limitations hinders the ability to exercise as
much.
Diabetes 2
Diabetes 2 is becoming a real
danger for many aging people now. In type 2 diabetes the body does
not produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells ignore the insulin. It
is an illness that can be brought about by poor diet, especially the excessive
sugar in diets, diabetes 2 could also be referred to as “burnt out Pancreas”
as the body struggles to cope with high blood glucose levels.
There is a tsunami of people,
even younger ones subjecting themselves to this illness now, which left
untreated can be very dangerous. You can change your lifestyle to avoid
Diabetes 2, but if you cannot and have been diagnosed with it, medication
will alleviate the problems it can create in your body. It is not
as serious as Diabetes 1, which requires daily insulin injections and is
much more life threatening. Symptoms of Diabetes 2 are extreme thirst,
extreme tiredness and wanting to spend a penny too often. Although type
2 diabetes can often be easily controlled by diet, medication and exercise,
it still poses a risk if not managed correctly. The long-term complications
from Diabetes can include strokes, heart attacks, amputation and kidney
failure.
The nurse at your local health
centre can conduct a test to determine this condition, do a full blood
count, thyroid test, liver and kidney function and check for any other
under lying conditions associated with growing older. This is a fasting
blood test where you can only sip water for 12 hrs before the test, therefore
best to have it done early in the morning.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is another condition
that appears in different ways in men and women, at one point it seemed
to affect men more, but over the last decade or so, women are being affected
also. It typically seems to run in families, or lifestyles.
Heart disease can manifest in many forms e.g. Angina, which is very treatable
with medication, an irregular heart beat, again treatable, furring up of
the arteries caused by blood clotting, this is partly treatable by blood
thinning treatments, stents or whatever the doctor recommends. Heart
attacks become an increased risk with increased age, but if prompt treatment
is given, the person can often be saved. A heart attack should be
seen as a warning, which many people do not have, and preventative action
can then be taken to prevent another attack recurring. As you reach a senior
age you should ensure you are familiar with the symptoms of an oncoming
heart attack, these are most commonly a crushing chest and jaw pain, extreme
tiredness, and tingling in the left arm, amongst other things. Quite
often indigestion and heart trouble can share similar symptoms, so if you
are in doubt do consult your doctor. Your doctor can arrange for an ECG
(Electro Cardiogram) test, which can be performed to assess the state of
the heart.
Strokes & Transcient Ischaemic
Attacks (TIA's)
Strokes are very disabling,
but a patient can recover fairly well, if treated very quickly after the
stroke took place. The important thing with elderly people is to
be able to recognize if they have suffered a minor stroke, and then ensure
proper diagnosis and treatment is given. The typical signs that an
elderly person has suffered a stroke are not being able to speak coherently,
some distortion of face muscles on one side, imbalance and not focusing
the eyes properly. TIA's, often called mini strokes, result as a
lack of blood to the brain. Most people recover from these fairly
quickly with no major after-effects, although they may go on to have one
or two more. TIA’s should be treated as a warning, and an alteration
to diet, lifestyle, perhaps even medication to help prevent further attacks
would be beneficial.
Anyone suffering from hypertension,
or high blood pressure (HBP), is more liable to heart disease, kidney disease
and strokes. There are no real symptoms for HBP so it pays to have
regular blood pressure checks at your local surgery, as there are many
people walking about with it undiagnosed and these are the ones in danger.
It can be very well controlled with medication, or often just an alteration
to lifestyle. There are two readings the systolic and the dialostic.
Systolic (the top reading) refers to blood pressure when the heart
beats while pumping blood. Diastolic (the bottom reading) refers to blood
pressure when the heart is at rest between beats. E.g. 120/80 mmHg. (The
mmHg is millimeters of mercury—the units used to measure blood pressure.)
All levels above 120/80 mmHg raise your risk, and the risk grows as blood
pressure numbers rise. "Prehypertension" means you're likely to end up
with HBP, unless you take steps to prevent it.
Cancer
The chance of developing cancer
grows with age, as I amongst most people, thought it diminished, so any
untoward bleeding, lumps, unusual moles on the skin, should be checked
out if at all worried. The earliest cancer is detected, the greater
chance of good treatment and remission, leading to full recovery.
Of course there are often no symptoms, leading to silent cancers.
Again cancer tends to run in families as does heart disease so if you're
aware of your family health history and it contains relatives or parents
who have suffered from cancer, be more aware. Also cancer is not confined
to the older generation, many cancer sufferers are younger people.
The top and bottom of growing
older is to be aware of your body, do not be rushing off to the doctor
with every little thing, but at the same time do not ignore symptoms that
do not go away, make you feel out of sorts or you consider may lead to
something more serious.
Senior citizens, the rule
is to enjoy life without obsessing about your health, as some unfortunately
do, but to seek advice and help if you are unduly concerned about something.
Adopting a more healthy approach to life as you age can help to prevent
the onset of these four danger illnesses that affect us in old age.
If you aim to travel as you
retire and enjoy the freedom offered as a senior citizen, then it is even
more important to manage these afflictions that strike as we age. Travel
Insurance companies treat diabetes, heart disease and cancer as serious
health concerns when offering senior health travel insurance.
By Janice L. Joplin
Nursing
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