elderly health

The good old adage “health is wealth” is even truer in respect of old people. So long as you have youth on your side, you can combat anything that comes your way, but once you reach the dreaded 70’s all sorts of ailments seem to dog your footsteps. Ranging from respiratory ailments (which could very easily metamorphise into pneumonia or tuberculosis) to coronary diseases, which require angioplasty or  bypass surgery, suffering is manifest. In the light of this, elderly health is a very important concern. Basically as the person ages, the vital parameters seem to fluctuate and sugar levels and blood pressure go out of control. Exercise is more important than ever and diet should be strictly controlled.
 
One can never say at what point of time the individual will fall sick. A rise or fall in the blood pressure could bring in its wake a lot of problems, which could involve a total collapse. Hence, proximity to a hospital and good medical care is something that we have to ensure. This involves a lot of commitment on the person who is looking after the patient. Words of confidence, patience and a cheerful countenance will have a positive effect on the health of the patient.
 
The health of the individual has got to be regularly monitored even when the person appears to be healthy. If the patient is diabetic, sugar levels have got to be constantly monitored and diet altered accordingly. If the person is old, then it becomes imperative to watch every movement lest any imbalance cause a fall, which may lead to a fracture. This is not always very easy. There may be situations where the person will have to be left alone for short or long spells. The anxiety on the part of the elderly person and also on the part of the person who is looking after is understandable. Constantly keeping in touch, seeing that proper medication is being taken and ensuring that no other problems are there will become the order of the day. This can be taxing and sometimes prove to be very exhausting if a single person is attending on the individual.
 
In India in a situation where there are joint families, elderly health is perhaps easier to deal with, but even this situation is fraught with problems if the area happens to be a rural one. Ignorance may be bliss, but in some cases it may cost a life. Ignorance about basic medical concepts, a sense of indifference towards elderly health because of economic factors are typical situations in many Indian homes. Even if the will to do is there, the wherewithal is missing.
 
The well being of an individual does not merely pertain to physical health but also to mental health. If the elder is a widower or a widow, the sense of loneliness that the person feels cannot be compensated for. To take into consideration that factor and cater to their emotional needs as well as physical needs becomes essential. Given a scenario where the care giver has to go to work, cook and look after everything else, it becomes very difficult. If the individual goes into a depression and is oblivious to everything else around, drastic measures may be necessary. The person may lose all faculties and become bed ridden. Caring becomes even more difficult at this point of time.
 
Elderly health is in a sense a sort of a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces fit in different places at different times and the puzzle takes on a new shape every time. To learn to face the fact that the elderly are mercurial in temperament, and anything could boomerang at any time takes a lot of grit, courage and patience. ~ author Mini Swami.

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