Many bowel movement problems in elderly adults are at least partially caused by inactivity. Older people tend to be less active, but inactivity has a significant impact on our metabolism. Staying active can help the colon process waste, which can help prevent constipation and a lack of bowel movement in elderly adults.
Causes of constipation in the elderly
Some of the reasons for this propensity include poor diet, lack of adequate fluids in diet, lack of exercise, the use of certain drugs to treat other medical conditions, and poor bowel habits.
One of those many things that age tends to change is our digestive system. It has been estimated that 40 percent of the elderly will have an age-related digestive problem each year.
Straining is the most commonly identified symptom by older adults, even though physicians tend to rely on bowel movement frequency to diagnose constipation. Additionally, patients tend to underestimate their frequency of bowel movements. Normal stool frequency can vary between 3 motions per day and 3 motions per week.
Chronic constipation is a common issue for seniors
It can cause them to not want to eat or exercise and can make them cranky and uncooperative. It could also cause unwanted behavior in people with Alzheimer's or dementia – like taking off their incontinence briefs at inappropriate times.
Digestive Problems as You Age. Constipation. One of the most common things we see, certainly as people are getting into their 60s and 70s, may be a change in bowel habits, predominantly more constipation," says Ira Hanan, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Increasing dietary fiber intake to 25 to 30 g daily may improve symptoms of constipation. Encourage physical activity to improve bowel regularity. If nonpharmacologic approaches fail, recommend increased fiber intake and/or laxatives to increase bowel movement frequency and improve symptoms of constipation.
The most common gastrointestinal complaints in elderly patients include dysphagia, dyspepsia, anorexia, constipation, and fecal incontinence.
For some, it can mean twice a day, and for others, three times a week is normal. However, if you often have infrequent bowel movements, you may be constipated. Symptoms of constipation include: Fewer than three bowel movements a week.
Anxiety can cause you to need to poop. This is due to the way your brain communicates with your GI tract. When you become anxious, it can send a message to your gut that triggers the need to poop or other digestive symptoms. Different situations can potentially trigger anxiety.
Let's speak about the loo taboo
Paruresis is the fear of public toilets without any medical cause. Sometimes, it may be referred to as shy bladder or bashful bladder syndrome (BBS).
Generally speaking, you can go about five days without pooping before you run into the risk of serious health issues like fecal impaction, hemorrhoids, or a bowel perforation. That said, there isn't a magic number of days to set a countdown for.
Body odor, unkempt and greasy hair, long fingernails, and dirty clothing are all signs of poor personal hygiene. If these signs are occuring, it's time to make an assessment. Recognizing that bathing daily, good dental care, and proper grooming are parts of quality senior care is the first step.
Psyllium, calcium polycarbophil, lactulose syrup, lactitol, polyethylene glycol, magnesium hydroxide, stimulant laxative with or without fiber, and other medications were more effective than placebo in elderly constipation patients in short-term.
Simple treatments—such as diet changes, medicines, bowel training, and exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles—can improve symptoms by about 60 percent. These treatments can stop fecal incontinence in 1 out of 5 people. Your doctor can recommend ways you can help manage and treat your fecal incontinence.
In general, bulk-forming laxatives, also referred to as fiber supplements, are the gentlest on your body and safest to use long term. Metamucil and Citrucel fall into this category.
After comfortably passing a stool, always wipe from front to back. Avoid any skin-to-skin contact with stool. Simply reach behind your back and between your legs, using plenty of crumpled or folded toilet tissue. Wipe backward from the perineum , the space between the genitals and anus, moving toward and past the anus.
And just as the muscles throughout your body might tire more easily than they did in your 20s and 30s, the muscles in your gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus and bowel, can slow down. This often leads to increased symptoms, such as acid reflux or constipation, respectively, over age 65.
Anecdotal evidence links older age to increased gas production. This has been attributed to the metabolic changes that take place at this time of life. These include a general slowing of the metabolism, a decrease in muscle tone and less-effective digestion.
Common causes include: Chronic diarrhea Constipation Hemorrhoids Crohn's disease The skin of the anus can stick to the stool and make it difficult to clean the anorectal area after a bowel movement. Leaky gut Leaky gut is also known as fecal incontinence.