Is Aging Suppose to Hurt

Elaine V. is a student in the Denver area taking a State approved program to become an Activity Professional in a long term care facility. One of her assignments is to have an article published within the industry. The article below is provided by Elaine.

We need to be more aware on what is natural to expect with our aging parent(s) and what could be a symptom of a disease. Many of us tend to believe that as our parents age, many of their symptoms are related to just getting older. Because of this myth, many illnesses may go undiagnosed and untreated. A person who appears confused, uncooperative or not responsive may have a hearing problem. The older adult starts to exhibit an uncaring and unsympathetic attitude. Does this sound familiar? My mother-in- law behaved that way and we naturally understood her plight in life and made excuses for her behavior to family and friends. Not for one second did we, the family, consider that this could be a symptom of a disease - would you?

Many symptoms of diseases can go unnoticed by us, the family, or be mistaken as a drug reaction perhaps. My mother started experiencing anxiety attacks for nearly six months before she passed away with congestive heart failure for which she never received treatment for in Canada. I would never have thought (but have since learned) that "failure of any organ system may lead to anxiety, depression or a psychotic state."(1) Memory loss can be mistaken as a normal part of aging but as times go on, thinking and planning also become difficult. I'll admit at 52 years old, there are times I've experienced this myself so you can see why I wouldn't be overly concerned about this with my parent(s) - right? Crying inappropriately as a lady friend of mine continues to do everyday, all day - Well, I never thought that could be a symptom of vascular dementia - would you? Looking back on this now, we realize how very little we actually know about the symptoms of aging.

So, is aging suppose to hurt? Let's consider what the aging symptoms are and you decide: "menopause, balding, graying hair, skin changes, slight mental changes, eye changes, reading difficulty, hearing loss, vaginal changes, and wisdom."¹

All other symptoms could be complications of aging caused by changes in their body due to disease. Don't ignore your parent(s) symptoms because you think that's normal for their age - Take control, make that appointment, take their medications with you and talk to their doctor together today!

¹Source excerpts from Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care Author(s): R. Douglas Collins