NEW MEDICAL TRENDS ON STAYING HEALTHY AS WE GET OLDER

New medical trends on staying healthy as we get older

The world is facing a situation where we soon will have more older adults over the age of 65 than children and more people at extreme old age than ever before. With this drastic change, more attention should be paid to the health of our aging population people.

 Nowadays the most common problem faced by aging people is memory impairment. Some deterioration in cognition and memory with the age is natural, but some cases associated with the declining of mental functions can signal a risk. Such a condition is termed as ‘Dementia’ which can cause profound effects on individual’s health and well-being. The final stage of the disease usually means a loss of memory, reasoning, speech and other cognitive functions. Estimates reveal that there were 46.8 million people worldwide living with dementia in 2015 and this number will reach 131.5 million in 2050. ‘Alzheimer’s disease’ is the most common form of dementia and more recent analyses have estimated the worldwide number of people living with Alzheimer’s disease-dementia is at between 27 million and 36 million.

Most of the memory and cognition impairments occur due to the weakening and loss of neuronal functions in the brain. This process cannot be restored completely but the disease progression could be slowed. Although medications are available in the health sector, they are not yet proved to cure these impairments.

 According to recent studies, researchers were able to identify that lifestyle practices such as leisure pursuits, educational activities and intellectual engagement are associated with the successful maintenance of cognition with aging. Many studies have investigated that physical activity enhances cognition as cardiovascular fitness increases cerebral blood flow and oxygen delivering to the brain, increasing neuron formation and maintaining brain volume. It was also found that social support and engagement in social activities lower mortality outcomes similar to physical exercises. Apart from that nutrition has been identified as a critical factor in improving abnormal cognitive decline including dementia.

Assisted living facilities are able to fulfill all these necessities to improve their quality of life. The assisted living facility is either a facility/community setting or provided in a group home setting that is designed for those individuals who need assistance with daily activities. Basically, they provide assistance in daily living activities, coordination of services by outside health care providers, short-term respite care, lodging and coordination of resident activities to ensure one's health, safety and well-being.

Assisted Living Peoria AZ facilities as well as most Arizona assisted living facilities have well-trained staff members who have been trained to meet the unique needs of cognitively impaired people. They tailor a care plan for each resident specifically aligned with each resident’s needs. Cognitively impaired people sometimes behave aggressively; so they understand the common problems faced by the residents and act with compassion and care according to the situation. Having dementia makes it difficult for people to do many practical things. The staff helps to reduce the impact of these practical difficulties and help the person to feel as independent as possible.

People with dementia often experience changes in their emotional response. Depression and anxiety are more common in them for the fear of staying away from family members and thinking about their future. In those situations assisted living facilities work to improve the mental status of residents by facilitating joint activities with friends and family, joining the hobby groups encouraging conversations by organizing entertainers, singing event, physical fitness programs, creative activities, and games.

Assisted Living Peoria AZ facilities are also well equipped with skilled staff and dieticians who are well aware of nutritional needs of cognitively impaired people. Diet plans for each resident are supervised and necessary changes are made for further improvement. They are implemented with caregivers and nurses who assist residents with health care. Most importantly the privacy of the residents is preserved.

Therefore, with improved healthcare supervision and opportunities for socialization and participation in activities Assisted living facilities improve the well-being of senior citizens and ensure a good quality of life for their future needs.

Reference

 Williams, K., & Kemper, S. (2010). Exploring Interventions to Reduce Cognitive Decline in Aging. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 48(5), 42–51. http://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20100331-03

Services Provided - Assisted Living Facilities. (2017). Assistedlivingfacilities.org. Retrieved 18 September 2017, from https://www.assistedlivingfacilities.org/resources/services-provided/