Issues Facing Aging Seniors And How To Deal With Them

| Tuesday, April 17, 2018
By Melissa Perry


As people get older, they hope that their lives will become easier. They look forward to retirement as the time they can finally relax. Even though the senior yeas may be the best years in life, there are some concerns. There are many issues facing aging seniors. Learning about these issues and how to deal with them is important.

One challenge that the elderly face is health care costs, which continue to soar every day. As people age, they require more health maintenance products and services. Getting screened for health problems that are linked with aging enables doctors to cater to the heath issues early. Visiting the doctor frequently has a great impact on the retirement savings of seniors.

Another challenge faced by senior citizens is deteriorating health. Their health may get worse suddenly or gradually. Unexpected and sudden changes in health can take place after a heart attack, cancer diagnosis or a stroke. After a sudden change in health, the elderly may become disabled and therefore require the services of caregivers. The worsening health condition may force them to make serious decisions regarding their living arrangements and costs, government support and family support.

The investments and savings of the elderly can also run out due to advanced age. Most people have significant savings as they start their senior years, but others do not have that much. Those with minimal savings and investments are vulnerable to the unexpected expenses that may arise. The elderly may have inadequate financial resources to support them in the coming years and pensions or social security payments are insufficient to make up the difference.

The elderly may also become dependent on their care takers such as their family members. This can happen due to weakness or frailty linked to old age or due to dementia, which is loss of cognitive abilities. The risk of suffering from dementia increases with age. People who are eighty years old or older have a 50 percent chance of suffering from dementia. To overcome this, the family members of the seniors should intervene and stay close to their loved ones so that they can maintain their independence.

Senior citizens also tend to be more trusting and they can therefore be exploited financially. For example, many seniors hire handymen and mechanics among other professionals to help them with remodeling, repairing and maintenance needs. Sometimes, dishonest providers of repair or maintenance services charge higher fees or offer unnecessary services. Several phone and internet scams also take advantage of the seniors with an aim of robbing them. If you have an elderly loved one, you should look out for this habit of financial exploitation and come up with a plan for protecting him or her from it.

Loneliness is the other problem that many elderly people deal with. It is common for elderly people to lose their friends to death or dementia. It becomes more important for senior citizens to spend time with their family members and remaining friends. Pets can also provide them with daily companionship.

Many elderly people are usually neglected in the nursing homes or assisted living homes where they stay. Some of them are even abused while staying there. Such kinds of issues may occur due to inadequate staff and can be prevented or solved by finding a good nursing home that has qualified staff and a good reputation.




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