I have many different clients from a diverse background and they all report the same dilemma which is very perplexing to them. The elders seem to have aged, but are unaware when it all happened. One day they woke up and nothing seemed to work right with their bodies anymore. From the grandfather down the block to the 84 year old yoga instructor, the reports are the same. Somewhere along the line the person seemed to have aged in place. As they live their lives, and their memory lines show on their faces, slowly their bodies have aged quietly and subtly along the way. However once they become aware that they have aged, suddenly the little aches and pains become more evident. The daily life issues that were handled swiftly in the past are suddenly causing distress and disruptions in the lives of the elders. From something as simple as going out for the mail, suddenly an achy hip makes the trip to the mailbox unbearable.
There is a quiet desperation in this population of elders. They want to continue to work and to be productive in their personal and professional lives. But the quirky little health issues that start to pop up make even the most mundane tasks sometimes impossible to complete any longer. A friend of mine has had an ongoing bout with shingles. He struggles to ease the itching with various creams and salves. But the rash continues. He tries to cover up with long sleeve shirts, but the covers do not cure the illness. It may be with him for the rest of his life.
For some elders, weight has become an issue which causes many ailments from diabetes to heart troubles. It is not easy to lose weight at any age, but in the sedentary lifestyle of most elders, it is almost impossible. If anything the elders tend to put on more weight as they age. There is a program offered in most gyms now specifically for the elderly called Silver Sneakers. The exercises are done in a chair, rather than bouncing around on the gym floor. This is a wonderful program that more elders should learn about and discover classes in their own neighborhoods.
Loss of balance and tripping/falling can be deadly in the elderly. Its a quick spiral downhill with health once an elder breaks a hip, needs hip replacement or physical therapy in a rehabilitative center.
Entering the hospital for any reason can expose the elder to various viruses that exist in the hospital setting. So on top of the ailment that the elder entered the hospital for, there is a good chance that the elder will contract other illness just by being in the hospital. Once in the institutional setting, the elder is put on a schedule to fit into the plan of care. So the toileting schedule, bathing schedule, sleeping schedule and eating schedule take away the elder's freedom of choice.
For an elder that is a nighthawk, this can also be very disruptive. Breakfast at 7 AM is not part of this elder's lifestyle. Going to sleep at 9 PM is not part of the lifestyle either. Bodily functions do not happen on a schedule for most people, so toileting on a timetable rarely works. Therefore, many times the hospital will put diapers on the elder that doesn't toilet on the schedule set for them. Of course if you don't use it, you lose it. So many elders that entered the hospital continent of bowel and bladder leave the hospital incontinent and in diapers. Further, the elder probably walked into the hospital on their own two legs. But once in the hospital, the elder is placed in a wheelchair for the convenience of the staff, and the elder then starts to lose the ability to ambulate independently. They are then placed on a therapy schedule for ambulation, and by the time they leave the hospital are unable to walk on their own. It is very important to private hire a companion whenever hospitalized. The extra pair of hands will allow the elder to toilet when needed, and walk around safely on the arm of the companion.
Aging in place is helped along when the above hospitalization enters the life of the elder. But for the most part, the aging in place process is ongoing but deceptively quiet and slow. One day, the elder looks in the mirror and realizes they are aged, wrinkled, and gray haired. Some will fight the aging process with hair dye, wrinkle creams etc. in an attempt to fool themself that they are not their age, rather look 10 years younger. I say just let it happen and enjoy the ride. The only person they are fooling is themself. Everyone knows that the hair is dyed and it doesn't matter to those of us that love our elder. We just wish for a safe fulfilling journey through the later years of our lives.