By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2011-04-11 20:15:31 | Word Count: 664
Many who live in Los Angeles are consumed with looking good, and at least trying to stay healthy, and live a full and balanced life. This perspective is also shared when you’re involved in elder care for an aging parent or loved one, and also if you’re trying to age gracefully and productively. To make sure that you’re out in front of any changes in one’s physical, mental or emotional well-being, the following seven actions are simple, but too often overlooked:
1. Check your elder for signs of either mental or physical impairment. This means checking to make sure they haven’t lost any ability to take care of themselves. For instance, is your loved one still able to walk, get dressed, control their bladder and bowels, use the bathroom, and manage personal hygiene? Has there been any difficulty with managing medications, finances, driving and/or transportation, meal preparation, and light housework? Changes in these abilities can be subtle, and are often not picked up at the doctor’s office unless a family member speaks up. But these kinds of changes can be signs of physical or mental problems, so it’s important to bring them to the attention of a medical professional.
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2. Have your loved one assessed for pain. Studies have repeatedly shown that pain (enough to often bother a person) is common in older adults â€" but that it’s also under-recognized and under-treated. This can really negatively affect an elder person’s health, from decreasing the motivation to take that daily walk to increasing their risk of entering into depression. The good news is that with treatment it’s often possible to reduce pain, which can improve function and quality of life. Your loved one may be able to benefit from pain management, and if so, you should bring any potential pain problems to the attention of a doctor.
3. Have your elder senior assessed for depression. Depression is very common in late life, and often goes undiagnosed and untreated. Fortunately, asking a couple simple questions can work as a quick assessment: 1) “Over the past two weeks have you felt sad, down in the dumps, depressed, or hopeless?” and 2) “Over the past two weeks have you felt little interest or pleasure in doing things?” Anyone who answers “yes” to one or both questions should get a more in-depth evaluation. If your elder loved one answers “no” but you still have concerns, be sure to mention it to the doctor. Remember, your gut instinct may be the most valid tool.
4. Check on when your elderly loved one last had their vision, hearing, and dental check-up. There’s no medical consensus as to exactly how often older people should be screened for these issues, but we do know that often quality of life really improves when common problems such as cataracts, hearing loss, and painful teeth have been diagnosed and treated. To evaluate a senior’s vision and teeth, you’ll probably need to see an eye doctor and a dentist, preferably one that specializes more in geriatric medicine. Assessing hearing usually starts in a regular doctor’s office by asking the patient and family if they’ve noticed problems with hearing. If you suspect problems or hear complaints, or the person can’t begin to remember when he or she was last screened, just make an appointment, to be safe.
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