Caring for the elderly in your life

Posted on 17 October 2016

It’s not easy to care for ageing parents or grandparents, even if they’re not living under your roof. Dr Mariette Buchner, a physician at Mediclinic Durbanville, explains the important elements of elderly care and what signs indicate that older people need more routine or specialist care.

The challenge of elderly care

Senior care can be a challenge with its various elements – physical, mental and emotional – needing constant vigilance. Here’s what to watch out for:

Physical warning signs

• Sudden onset of weakness in a limb could be advance warning of a stroke. ‘A transient ischaemic event [when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or reduced for a short time] resolves the weakness within 24 hours, but is a pre-event of a future stroke and needs urgent investigation,’ says Dr Buchner.
• Fainting episodes, known medically as syncope, can also point to more serious underlying problems. These short periods of loss of consciousness and muscle strength are usually as a result of a decrease in blood flow to the brain, usually from low blood pressure. ‘They can also occur as a result of epilepsy or arryhythmia [abnormal heart rhythm],’ adds Dr Buchner.
• A sudden change in sleeping patterns, especially if the person begins sleeping a lot more than before, is also cause for concern.
• If your elderly parent or grandparent is in a nursing home, be aware of circumstances that may point to problems: pills lying around (not in boxes or weekday holders), poor monitoring of medication that may result in double dosages, and/or more than one attending physician that can result in clashing medical advice and prescriptions. Unexplained bruising or other injuries is also obviously a red flag.

Mental warning signs

• Confusion in an elderly person can have many root causes, from a urinary tract infection to an electrolyte disturbance, says Dr Buchner. However, it can also signal the onset of dementia.
• Short-term memory loss can be a very early sign of dementia, says Dr Buchner. If your elderly parent or grandparent can remember things from the past but not what he or she did or ate that day, it should be investigated.
• Repetitive behaviour, such as asking the same question over and over again, or walking and pacing up and down, may also be symptoms of the onset of dementia.

Emotional warning signs

If your elderly parent or grandparent suddenly becomes very negative and emotional, it can be a sign of depression. ‘Depression presents frequently in older people as they start losing friends and family and can no longer do the physical things they could do previously,’ Dr Buchner says.

‘If your previously easygoing elderly parent or grandparent suddenly shows aggression, you need to try to find out why,’ says Dr Buchner. Aggression is often the result of the frustration and fear caused by the onset of dementia.

When worrying symptoms in one or more of these areas become evident in a parent/grandparent’s life, you need to take action by seeking medical help or changing their care routine.