Elderly people

... belong to the age group over 65 years. Aging is a normal physiological process that begins at birth, and progresses significantly after 50 years of age, when there is a weakening of bodily functions due to changes in the tissues themselves. Although the changes are individual and significantly associated with heritage and former way of life, the most usual are weak bones, joints and muscles, builds up of fat tissue, loss of skin`s elasticity, poor hearing and vision, significant change of hormone levels in women, slowing down of digestive system and the whole metabolism, weakened bladder. Also, there is the development of various chronic diseases, mostly chronic diseases of heart, blood vessels and musculoskeletal system.

Retirement

Retirement, for some people, especially single people, causes social and psychological issues, accompanied by existential issues. There are moodiness, confusion, needlessness, fear, thinking about life's achievements and the end of life. However, it should be a time in which people enjoy without daily stress due to work and achievement of results. It is extremely important that the elderly, as long as their medical condition allows, maintain regular social contacts with family, friends, and even if that initially requires certain self-coercion.

Healthy diet in old age

Healthy diet in old age reduces indigestion, strengthens immunity, increases energy and significantly improves the condition of patients suffering from chronic diseases.

• Breakfast is compulsory meal containing fruit and low fat dairy products: low-fat milk, low-fat cheese, yogurt, kefir, tofu, and nuts, and whole grain bread.
• Lunch includes more vegetables and fish, and one deciliter of red wine is allowed. A higher intake of broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, beetroot, garlic and onions, soy products is recommended. Red meat should be replaced by poultry meat, and olive, sunflower and pumpkin seed oil should be used. Consumption of salt, sugar, white flour and white rice should be particularly limited.
• Dinner should be light, taken not later than three hours before bedtime.

ELDERLY often take multiple medicines simultaneously. It is therefore necessary to check and establish the correct way of their dosage.

Physical activity is important!

Physical activity is crucial for delaying the onset of dependence on another person, but also the maintenance of the physiological and intellectual functions, for improving control of existing disease, reducing the risk of obesity, osteoporosis, incontinence, and it is considered that it even slows dementia in people in whom it occurs. The elderly should establish their physical activity with the doctor, and exercises that improve the functioning of the heart, circulation and respiration, that maintain muscles and provide flexibility, and affect the balance and coordination are recommended. Just 30 minutes a day of faster walking significantly improves the overall feeling of the elderly.

Read how to cure muscle related injuries at Atlas Physical Therapy. They offer Trigger Point Dry Needling (TDN) technique.

MORE ADVICE: Fluids are especially important for older people, and they should take the daily total of 1.6 liters of liquid food and water or non-soda and unsweetened juice or mild herbal tea.

How to avoid insomnia?

For most of older people sleep lasts shorter, and it is often poorer in quality.

Any treatment of insomnia begins by establishing sleep hygiene, which includes adapting lifestyle habits:

• During the day one should have some physical activity and avoid napping
• One should go to sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time
• Avoid wakening activities before bedtime: watching or reading tense or aggressive themes, and consuming food, alcohol, cigarettes and coffee
• Sleeping space should be well ventilated, colder, darker, and relaxing warm bath before bedtime, listening to soft music or light reading are recommended.
• If you need the help of medicines for insomnia, you should try the herbal medicines
• synthetic medicines, called benzodiazepines are addictive after some time, and often cause side effects after awakening, such as drowsiness, confusion and disorientation. They should be applied only for limited time.

Medicines for the elderly

Medicines are usually prescribed for the elderly and for lifelong treatment of chronic diseases. However, it should be remembered that the elderly, due to physiological aging process, in a way are more sensitive to the medicines, and it is very important that the doctor periodically checks the dose of prescribed medicine for preventing the unwanted side effects. As older people often take four or more types of medicines at the same time, the method of taking them may be confusing, and they may often forget to take the medicine. Therefore the pharmacist should provide advice for the appropriate dosing, so that the medicines would achieve desired therapeutic effect!

Assisting devices for the elderly

Assisting devices are often used in old age and should never be a cause for shame. We should accept them as a means to improve the quality of life. They are mainly glasses, hearing aid, and support for walking. The aids for urinary incontinence are also frequently used. Incontinence is caused by weakening of the bladder, or the weakening of the pelvic floor muscles.

Precisely those muscles indirectly prevent involuntary leakage of urine from the bladder, wherein there is loss of urine, usually few drops, even during activities such as coughing or sneezing.

Given that incontinence is still a taboo subject, accompanied by a sense of shame and the need for isolation, many do not know where they can seek help and which incontinence aids exist, and this is one of the reasons for an increase in the number of people suffering from incontinence.

What aids can be used by people who suffer from incontinence?

Today, life is much easier for incontinent persons because they have a range of incontinence aids at their disposal, such as:

• Incontinence pads that are suitable for all forms of incontinences (from light to heavy) and can be used by women and men
• Diapers for incontinence which are intended for the medium and heavy incontinence
• Diaper panties for incontinence which are worn like classic underwear, and while using this product, the person feels confident because of the greater freedom of movement
• Absorbent pads for beds which are used as additional protection for the bed in the case of incontinence, as well as in other medical procedures that require extra bed protection
• Specially designed incontinence pads for men, adapted to male anatomy
• Net shorts that are used for fixing the incontinence pads.

How to choose the adequate aid for incontinence?

It is very important to correctly determine what aid is necessary for the incontinent person. Will incontinent people choose pads or diaper depends on many factors such as the mobility, the amount of urine that is involuntarily released, frequency of urination and so on. Also, it is necessary to know the scope of the hips of the users, if the use of diapers is necessary.