Learn About The Issues Facing Aging Seniors

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.

Advanced age can also deplete the savings and investments of the elderly. Many individuals have a lot of savings at the beginning of their senior years while others do not have a lot. The lifestyle of seniors with minimal investments and savings is prone to get affected by the unexpected costs that may arise. These people may lack adequate finances to support them in the years to come and their social security payments or pensions may not make any difference.

Elderly people can also lose their independence. This can happen due to frailty and general weakness linked to aging. However, many elderly people lose their independence due to dementia. The risk of losing cognitive ability increases as people age. For seniors who have attained the age of 80, the risk of dementia is almost 50 percent. The relatives of seniors should not wait too long before they intervene to help their loved ones maintain independence.

It is usual for people to become more trusting as they continue to age. This has come back around to haunt them as their trust is abused and they get financially exploited. A good example of this is a professional charging the unsuspecting elderly person extra fees for remodeling, maintenance or repair services. The elderly have also been victimized by several phone and online scams and they end up losing their money. To overcome this, the relatives of elderly people should keep them close and find ways to protect their finances.

The other challenge experienced by the elderly is loneliness. Most elderly people lose their friends to dementia or death. You and your relatives should provide your aged loved one with companionship. Pets can also be a good source of 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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