When we?re little kids, we look forward to being adults. We are excited to be on our own, with our own families and establishing our careers. Once we are adults, we continue to age, though. With aging comes a lot of changes, both positive and negative for the human body. It?s important to stay informed about such changes and prepare for them so they aren?t as much of a shock if or when they occur. By staying on top of such changes, you can help your elderly relatives and be better prepared for your own time as an elderly person. Whether it?s knowing what that best disposable mattress pads, the top medical canes, diabetic care or something else, the elderly need assistance in these mattress from family, friends and medical care who are well-informed.
So, what are someone?s chances for needing such care when they?re elderly? Keep reading to learn about three of the common changes that can occur to our bodies as we age.
1. Chances for urinary incontinence increases
In some ways, the body comes full circle. Like when you were a child using diapers, as you age the chances for urinary incontinence increases meaning you will need to use disposable mattress pads when you sleep. About 45 percent of those 85 and over and 14 percent of those 65-69 years old will struggle with urinary incontinence. This could mean hospital stays every once in awhile to assess the situation. To treat situations like this, it could require oral medications or bladder installations. When using the latter option, a catheter is used to send medicine directly to bladder.
If you?re elderly relative is in senior care, they probably handle all of the disposable mattress pads, diapers for adults and disposable mattress covers. If you?re elderly relative is living with you, it is important that you find the best items and keep them stocked.
2. Chances for diseases increases
11.8 million seniors older than 65 are diagnosed with diabetes in America. This is a disease that must be monitored daily. Additionally, once you hit age 55 in America, you are at risk for a plethora of other diseases. These include arthritis, asthma, chronic respiratory disease, heart disease and high blood pressure. Women are more likely than men to struggle from hypertension, or high blood pressure. 77 percent of women older than 75 struggle from it, and nearly 64 percent of men over 75 deal with high blood pressure. Additionally, if you?re a man that?s 65 or older, your chances of dealing with asthma are 10 percent versus 13 percent for women.
3. Chances for injuries from falls increases
Many elderly individuals will need to started using canes for elderly or senior walkers with wheels at some point. Older adults often have to travel to the emergency room for care when they fall. On average, this occurs every 15 seconds in America. Due to statistics such as this, the uses of canes increased by over 50 percent in the last eight years. Nowadays, around 10 percent of elderly individuals make sure to use a mobility device of some sort to help them when they?re moving around so they don?t have to go to the emergency room for senior care.
The number of elderly people in America increases each day, each month and each year. In fact, statistics show that they will account for 20 percent of the population by the year 2030. That is why it is important to learn how to care for the elderly now. Then, not only will we be able to care the elderly as they age, but also we can pass on the knowledge so that the younger generations can care for the middle-aged generations as they age.
Have you ever had to administer care to an elderly relative or friend? How did you help the elderly? Was it by purchasing disposable mattress pads or a walking cane? Let us know in the comments what your experience is.