Five Common Health Concerns of Seniors

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As you age, your body starts deteriorating. That becomes obvious in wrinkles, grey hair, weakening joints, and memory issues. Bodily systems become much more susceptible to some typical illnesses and aches. With the right care, those symptoms and conditions can be easier to handle, if not wholly avoided.

With awareness of issues that occur and knowledge of appropriate steps, you can make your aging that much more pleasant. Here are the five most common health concerns that hit seniors, as well as some tips on dealing with them.

Chronic Conditions

Most seniors suffer from at least one chronic condition - some from even more than one. Most common chronic diseases include heart and lung issues, diabetes, and stroke.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is critical for managing the symptoms of such illnesses. Also, having regular check-ups with your physician helps with preventing future development.

Injury

As people age, the bones and joints lose strength and flexibility. As a result, seniors often lack balance they used to have and are more likely to fall and injure themselves.

What you can do is exercise as much as you are able and make modifications to your home. By improving your capabilities and reducing risk factors in the environment, you're much less likely to suffer from this.

Cognitive Health

Cognitive health refers to the capability of thinking, learning, and remembering. With age, these capabilities worsen. The most common way in which this shows is dementia.

If you notice memory issues, consult your doctor. With the right activity plan and medication, the symptoms can lower dramatically.

Sensory Impairment

As you age, loss of sight and hearing are common. Luckily, these issues are not difficult to treat, thanks to the developments in medical science. 

Hearing and visual aids are widely available. While they don't bring back your natural senses, they significantly increase the quality of your everyday life.

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is not an issue often connected with seniors, but it is a real problem. Such behavior can lead to new health problems occurring, and older ones becoming more severe.

Seniors often get several long-term prescriptions, so abuse doesn't come up often on medical check-ups. Also, for those with chronic pain, painkillers may seem like the only way out.

The best thing to do is to follow your prescription and consult your doctor. Some organizations help with medication management, as well as many other issues you may be facing. Click to view listing of all kinds of help you can get with your daily life from such organizations.

The Bottom Line

It's not pretty, but there are ways to ease your path into retirement. Follow these simple tips and try to maintain your general health as much as possible. It may not seem as much, but it will make a difference in the next ten years.