Elderly Care Problems

Elder care presents many challenges regardless of whether an elderly person resides in an adult care facility, or at home under the care of adult children. Perhaps the biggest challenge in caring for the elderly is our flaw of attributing the complaints of the elderly to old age. A 40-year-old experiencing shoulder pain is much more apt to have the shoulder thoroughly examined. In seniors, much is attributed to aging.

Dementia

• Up to 50 percent of those over 85 suffer from dementia, one of the most serious problems in caring for the elderly. Dementia is a loss of mental function, involving everything from motor skills to memory loss. It affects simple reasoning, planning and the physical abilities required for daily living. Such activities include cleanliness, cooking, paying bills and the ability to dress. Some of these activities present a real danger. Careless cooking can lead to fire, and lack of cleanliness will breed infections. If you are caring for elderly parents, forgetfulness is a warning sign pointing to danger.

Incontinence

• There are many reasons for the loss of bladder control, stroke being just one. Bladder function is a process involving involuntary muscles, which normally work automatically. Loss of bladder control prevents us from holding the bodily waste. Under normal circumstances, we recognize the need to void. Such consequences of dementia, stroke and Alzheimer's Disease, prevent us from recognizing this ability until it is too late. Adult Care Facilities are required to provide for bed-checks every two hours. A resident who suffers a loss of waste some 20 minutes after a bed-check, can often lay in such waste for more than an hour. At-home care isn't necessarily any better. Pads and briefs are constantly used but do not protect against the threat of infection that such circumstances invite.

Paralysis

• A stroke is often referred to as a brain attack. When the flow of blood to the brain suddenly stops or a blood vessel in the brain bursts, a stroke is suffered. Consequences to those who survive a stroke can be severe. Visible signs of a stroke depend upon the area of the brain suffering the damage. A stroke can affect memory, speech, the ability to swallow as well as both involuntary and voluntary muscles. Voluntary muscles are those muscles we put to use everyday, such as the use of hands, arms and legs. Hands locked in a fist after a stroke are difficult to clean. Prying fingers open can be a painful experience for the victim of a stroke who will often offer resistance and may express anger with your efforts.

Ailments

• Chronic diseases often thought of as manageable conditions, such as diabetes, COPD or failing vision present all sorts of difficulties. Many diabetics require insulin shots and blood glucose monitoring. Diabetics don't enjoy the same food freedom many of us take for granted. They must maintain a healthy, sugar-free diet. An injury to a diabetic is always regarded as serious. Diabetics do not heal like the rest of us, and any cut or abrasion to the skin can lead to serious consequences. COPD affects the blood oxygen level of those with breathing disorders. Heat and humidity can turn a manageable disease into a frightening one. A loss of vision presents very real safety hazards for the individual suffering with cataracts as well as all the individuals around them.

Caretakers.

• Caring for the elderly also presents very personal problems for those with the task of caring. Exposure to bodily fluids can lead to hepatitis as well as staph infections. People suffering with HIV present a risk, as well. Elderly people with brain disorders often play with their own feces, getting it on hands and under fingernails presenting very risks to caretakers. Others can spit and hit caretakers, but the leading cause of injury to all caretakers is injuries to the back from lifting, supporting or rolling those in need of care. There are a lot of problems related to caring for our loved ones. All the training in the world cannot eradicate them.