Four Health Issues Faced by the Older Adult

   

by Susan Ingraham, Group Fitness Instructor

Four health conditions that many older adults often face are:

  1. hearing loss and tinnitus;
  2. cataracts;
  3. depression; and,
  4. dementia.

This article will do a brief review of all four conditions.

Hearing Loss and Tinnitus

These two things — hearing loss and tinnitus — can occur together or separately. Hearing loss — caused by such things as aging or exposure to loud noises — is strongly linked with tinnitus, but some people with hearing loss never develop tinnitus.

Age-related hearing loss is known as presbycusis; it is progressive, occurs in both ears in roughly equal amounts, and affects the high frequencies first. It is the most common cause of hearing loss worldwide and is estimated to affect approximately two-thirds of people aged 70 or older.

The causes of presbycusis are numerous but generally are a result of at least one of four factors:

  1. Continuous exposure to loud noises (such as music or work related noise);
  2. loss of hair cells (sensory receptors in the inner ear);
  3. inherited factors; and,
  4. aging.

There are different types of presbycusis and the type someone has depends on the specific damage that has been done to the inner ear. Two of the most common types are:

  1. Sensory presbycusis: This hearing loss happens when you lose outer hair cells in the organ of Corti at the base of your cochlea.

  2. Neural presbycusis: Your ability to hear relies in part on nerve cells in your cochlea and the auditory pathway to your brain. You lose nerve cells over time as a part of growing older.

Tinnitus (pronounced tih-NITE-us or TIN-uh-tus) is the perception of sound that does not have an external source, so other people cannot hear it.

Tinnitus is commonly described as a ringing sound, but some people hear other types of sounds, such as roaring or buzzing. It is more common than many people realize — surveys estimate that 10% to 25% of adults have it while children can also have it. For children and adults, tinnitus may improve or even go away over time, but in some cases, it worsens with time. When tinnitus lasts for three months or longer, it is considered chronic.

The causes of tinnitus are unclear, but most people who have it have some degree of hearing loss. Tinnitus is only rarely associated with a serious medical problem. However, some people find that it affects their mood and their ability to sleep or concentrate. In severe cases, tinnitus can lead to anxiety or depression.

Currently, there is no cure for tinnitus, but there are ways to reduce symptoms. Common approaches include the use of sound therapy devices (including hearing aids), behavioral therapies, and medications.

Cataracts

A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye (the clear part of the eye that helps to focus light). They are very common as a person ages. In fact, more than half of all people age 80 or older either have cataracts or have had surgery to get rid of cataracts.

Most cataracts develop when aging or injury changes the tissue that makes up the eye's lens. Proteins and fibres in the lens begin to break down. This causes vision to become hazy or cloudy. Some genetic disorders that cause other health problems can also increase the risk of getting cataracts.

Cataracts can be removed only with surgery. If your cataract symptoms are not bothering you, surgery is not necessary. You should consider surgery when cataracts keep you from doing things you want or need to do.

Depression

Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.

Why are seniors at risk of depression? Here are some of the reasons:

  1. Loneliness: Many seniors live alone and have limited means to socialize. They often miss the people with whom they once shared experiences and regular conversations — spouses, friends, neighbours, medical providers, and work colleagues. As a result, they are highly susceptible to feelings of loneliness and isolation.

  2. Immobility: Whether because of physical limitations or transportation constraints, or both, many seniors are not as able to do as much or get around as well as they once did. The loss of a driver’s license is particularly frustrating to some older adults, even while others choose to stop driving.

  3. Lack of Independence: As we age, we are naturally less able to do for ourselves. Declining physical health, unstable balance, falls, memory loss, dementia, impaired mobility, frailty — all these factors contribute to a greater reliance on others. Many seniors struggle with their loss of independence and feel helpless and guilty for asking for help from others.

  4. Lack of Purpose: With aging, some things change — retirement, “empty nest”, failing memory — and those changes contribute to a sense of insignificance among the elderly. Add ageism to that and it’s easy to understand why some seniors become despondent.

  5. Fear of the Future: Even the healthiest seniors know that they’ve lived many more years than they have left. The future may bring physical or cognitive decline, financial threats, changing living arrangements, decreased security, death of self or loved ones, and being a burden upon others. These can lead to anxiety and depression.

There are many ways that an older person can fight these aging issues, but the easiest way is to just get involved: volunteer, take a course, go to fitness class, help a friend.

Dementia

Dementia is a term that is used to cover a variety of symptoms associated with declining mental ability. It is a medical condition of the brain and not specifically a psychological or mental illness, although there can be behavioural and psychological symptoms associated with it.

Dementia symptoms are often overlooked because they are simply thought to be signs of normal aging in older adults. However, dementia is not a natural part of aging and its symptoms include:

Dementia is a term used to cover symptoms of mental decline, but there are actually many different types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

While normal aging can affect cognitive and memory performance, dementia—and therefore Alzheimer’s—is not a part of the normal aging process. Here are examples of normal memory loss for older adults:

These instances are expected as older adults age. However, it’s important to monitor yourself and/or friends or loved ones to see if these issues continue, increase in frequency, or worsen. If they do, you should seek help from a medical professional to determine if they have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

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