As individuals get older, they often lose some of their sensory abilities. A combination of natural age-related physical changes and complications of common illnesses that affect the elderly can cause your senior loved one to develop vision, hearing, and other sensory limitations, raising their risks for accidents and injuries.
As a concerned caregiver, learn about the various kinds of sensory loss seniors can experience. Once you recognize the potential problems and their telltale symptoms, you can arrange for the proper in-home care to help optimize your senior's safety and quality of life. Watch out for the following four kinds of sensory challenges.
1. Vision Changes
Vision commonly grows worse with age for a variety of reasons. For instance, most middle-aged people develop a condition called presbyopia, which limits the eyes' ability to focus on close-up text or objects. Advanced age also raises the risks of eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
Different age-related vision problems can display different warning signs. Cataracts commonly reduce color and contrast perception. Glaucoma reduces peripheral vision, while macular degeneration interferes with central vision. Any of these issues can make driving, outdoor activities, or even home navigation treacherous.
Assistive devices can complement regular eye exams and corrective treatments to help seniors see as clearly as possible. Your in-home care advisor may recommend fluorescent tape to mark stair steps, night lights in strategic locations, and specialized magnifiers or lighting to make reading easier.
2. Hearing Loss
Millions of older individuals suffer from presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss. This condition can sneak up on seniors and caregivers alike as the affected person gradually starts raising the TV volume, asking others to repeat themselves in conversation, and failing to understand or respond to questions and instructions.
If you notice these symptoms in your senior loved one, schedule a professional hearing evaluation to determine whether hearing aids can prove helpful. If an underlying condition such as diabetes or hypertension contributes to senior hearing loss, an in-home nurse can make sure the senior takes any necessary medications.
3. Loss of Taste and Smell
The senses of taste and smell work together closely to help people enjoy their food and beverages. As the sense of smell naturally declines with age, a senior's ability to taste may also fade somewhat, causing them to lose interest in food, lose an unhealthy amount of weight, and neglect their nutrition.
A diminished sense of smell can prove not just depressing but also potentially dangerous. For instance, a senior who cannot smell a leaky gas pipe, spoiled food, or smoke from a house fire faces serious risks. If your senior's sense of smell has faded, consider asking a sitter to stay with the senior whenever you must leave the home.
You can take steps to help seniors appreciate the taste of their food and eat as they should. Sometimes, you need only add some extra seasonings to spice up the menu. Bear in mind, however, that an unexplained loss of smell or taste can indicate an underlying medical problem. If this worries you, schedule a medical evaluation.
4. Diminished Sense of Touch
As the body ages, its circulatory system may not work as well as it once did. The loss of blood flow to the skin can reduce the skin's ability to feel pain, pressure, heat, or cold. Age-related complaints such as diabetes that affect nerve function only worsen this problem, which can prevent seniors from recognizing injuries.
Regular exercise can go a long way toward preserving a senior's circulation. If your senior loved one can't go out to exercise, schedule home-based physical therapy to boost blood flow in a safe environment. If diabetes reduces touch sensitivity, make sure your loved ones receive the necessary medical treatment.
A Visiting Redi-Nurse can help you give your beloved senior the right mix of supervision, medical care, and non-medical assistance to ensure a happier and healthier life.
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