What Are the Most Common Diseases for Older Adults?

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When we age, we are vulnerable to certain kinds of illnesses. Seniors must be trained on these diseases in order to take the measures required to decrease the probability of physical issues. In-home or in senior living in OKC, some of the diseases make older adults bother a lot. Here are the most prevalent illnesses faced by older people are:

Heart Issues

Heart disease in people of 65 and older is the major cause of death. The main risk variables to monitor blood pressure and cholesterol are, however, often totally symptomatic when they have a problem. Therefore, it is essential for older people to undergo regular blood tests in order to monitor and treat these variables correctly if needed. Keeping a well-balanced and active diet is also an excellent way to avoid cardiovascular disease.

Diabetes

According to the American Diabetes Association, one in four adults over 60 years old is diabetic. The adverse health impacts of this disease put seniors, in specific, at grave danger. Two distinct diabetes kinds exist. Type 1 is hereditary and far less prevalent than Type 2 and can be regulated by diet and medication in some instances. Blood testing can identify diabetes readily, and the previous treatment is detected.

Skin Problems

Changes to aging skin and their capacity to cure and withstand illness make it more common to skin diseases as we get older. The diseases include –

  • Bacterial or fungal foot infections (which can be more common in those with diabetes)

  • Cellulitis

  • Drug-resistant infections like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

  • Viral infections like herpes zoster (shingles) and pressure ulcers

Gastrointestinal Problems

Age-related digestive and gastrointestinal flora modifications have risen the danger of developing gastrointestinal diseases for elderly people. Two of the most frequent are the pylori of Helicobacter, which can trigger fever, nausea, and heavy abdominal pain and result in long-standing illnesses like gastritis; and the increasingly prevalent infection of diarrhea, Clostridium difficile that uses antibiotic therapies to suppress good gastrointestinal flora.

UTI or Urinary tract infections

The most prevalent bacterial disease in elderly adults are urinary tract infections or UTIs, the AAFP reported. Catheters can boost the danger of UTI in older individuals, or the existence of diabetes. Sudden behavioral variations such as dementia confusion or worsening, or urinary incontinence occurrence, are prevalent warning signs–maladministration and pain in elderly are not necessarily caused by UTI.

Arthritis

In the United States, 52 million people have some sort of arthritis, with older people being among the most vulnerable. The most common type of illness is osteoarthritis but also rheumatoid and gout. Watch for joint swelling or chronic articular pain, and you will always be in touch with a doctor if you experience these circumstances. After it has been diagnosed, there are efficient treatments for arthritis.

In our senior living in OKC, we take care of our residents to keep them away from all these diseases.

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