The Biggest Risks To Quality Of Life For Our Seniors.
August 3, 2018 by Staff
Filed under Health, Weekly Columns
(Akiit.com) If you have older loved ones in your life, it may be time to start paying more attention to them. A lot of recent news and studies is showing that we prone to ignoring, sidelining, or simply not noticing the threats to the seniors in our society. Here, we’re going to look at some of the biggest risks facing them, and what we can do about it.
Chronic illness
From diabetes to arthritis, obesity to substance abuse, most chronic illnesses are a significantly greater risk when we are over 50. There are two ways to help guard against the damage that chronic illness can wreak. The first is to live a healthier lifestyle. By exercising with older loved ones and eating healthy meals with them, you 
significantly lower their risks. Encouraging them to visit the doctor more regularly and accompanying those who might be more reluctant can help us catch any concerns much earlier, too, making them easier to treat.
Isolation
Amongst those chronic illnesses, we have to pay particular attention to the emotional and mental health of our elders. Isolation is one of the leading causes of most of them, from depression and anxiety to memory disorders. As High50.com/life/how-to-make-new-friends-over-50s-and-end-stigma-loneliness shows, senior isolation is a socially taboo subject which we don’t take enough time to address. But from spending more time with older loved ones to helping them find hobbyist groups near them, it’s one that we can easily tackle if we’re willing to put the effort in.
Neglect and abuse
As we grow older, we are more likely to need more care, and as a result we become more vulnerable. The abuse and neglect of seniors under the care of others, particularly in nursing homes where they don’t consistently have their family around, is a bigger risk than many of us would like to think. If your loved one complains about bullying, violence, or not having their essential needs looked after, you need to see if it falls under the definition of abuse with GBW.Law/personal-injury/nursing-home-abuse/. Their concerns may be very real and they may highlight extremely dangerous and illegal living conditions and treatment.
Mental health
Isolation and neglect are not the only concerns to our emotional and mental wellbeing as we grow older. We all want to remain as independent and as mentally strong as we once did. While it’s important not to infantilize our older loved ones, we all have to take care of our brains. RD.com/health/wellness/top-10-tips-for-a-healthy-brain-antiaging/ shows that, amongst other things, engaging in new hobbies and regularly taking part in brain training can help keep our brains much younger for longer. Our lifestyles need to be more than simple subsistence, they need to be engaging and stimulating, too.
We owe it to our older loved ones to take care of them, to pay attention, and to act when they share their concerns. After all, we are all going to be in their position someday. You want the tradition of respecting and caring for your elders to be a core of your family.
Staff Writer; Harry Ford