The main painful complaints in the elderly are related to neurodegenerative and musculoskeletal conditions, peripheral vascular diseases, arthritis, and osteoarthritis, contributing toward poorly life quality, social isolation, impaired physical activity, and dependence to carry out daily activities.
From Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and diabetes to hypothyroidism, Wilson's disease, and epilepsy, a number of medical conditions are associated with irritability, anger, and despair—each of which can lead to an uptick in complaining.
Loss of loved ones near their own age, such as spouses, siblings and close friends. Neglect from family members. Problems understanding and handling a changing world, especially new technologies. Fear of what will happen to them if they lose their independence.
Myth #2: Older Adults perceive pain to a lesser degree
In some cases, older adults have higher pain thresholds and a higher tolerance to pain. This can be dangerous because it makes them more vulnerable to unrecognized pain and loss of pain as a warning sign.
Treating pain in the elderly is complicated further by the fact that 75% of people age 65 and older have 2 or more chronic conditions—such as heart disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease, or arthritis. ² Despite the high prevalence of pain in the elderly, pain usually is undertreated.
The main painful complaints in the elderly are related to neurodegenerative and musculoskeletal conditions, peripheral vascular diseases, arthritis, and osteoarthritis, contributing toward poorly life quality, social isolation, impaired physical activity, and dependence to carry out daily activities.
Common conditions in older age include hearing loss, cataracts and refractive errors, back and neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression and dementia.
According to the National Council on Aging, about 92 percent of seniors have at least one chronic disease and 77 percent have at least two. Heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes are among the most common and costly chronic health conditions causing two-thirds of deaths each year.
A big reason that parents develop a more pessimistic attitude with age is boredom. Health conditions and weakness may leave older people sitting around for most of their day. This inactivity encourages them to act out more frequently because they are discontented with their daily lives.
Adults aged 65 and older need: At least 150 minutes a week (for example, 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week) of moderate-intensity activity such as brisk walking. Or they need 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity such as hiking, jogging, or running.
As people get older, they have less energy to get things done each day. Usually, personal hygiene (specifically bathing) is one of those things that gets neglected. So how often should an elderly bathe? To avoid any skin conditions or infections, a senior should bathe at least once or twice a week.
Sleep and Aging
Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night. But, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than they did when they were younger. There are many reasons why older people may not get enough sleep at night.
Natural changes happen in the body as we age, such as skin damage from sun exposure, loss of muscle and physical strength, loss of some sight and hearing, as well as changes to our sleep patterns, energy levels and appetite.
Arthritis. This chronic disease is one of the most common age related conditions older adults experience. Arthritis causes joint pain and chronic inflammation.
Some signs of aging can be seen from the outside: Your hair turns gray, and wrinkles and age spots appear on your skin. Our bodies are less able to store fluid in older age, so our spinal discs shrink and lose elasticity, for instance. As a result, people get smaller as they grow older.
Mental health problems are common among seniors and may include isolation, affective and anxiety disorders, dementia, and psychosis, among others. Many seniors also suffer from sleep and behavioral disorders, cognitive deterioration or confusion states as a result of physical disorders or surgical interventions.
Some older people may prefer self-administered strategies for managing their pain (e.g. massage and informal cognitive coping strategies) with traditional methods such as medication, physiotherapy and exercise least preferred (10).
Older adults who walk three to four miles a day — 6,000 to 9,000 steps — were found to be 40 to 50 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than those who walk a mile (2,000 steps) a day, according to research published in the journal Circulation.