Frailty In Older Adults Associated With Special Health Concerns

I have a few over - age - 50 patients who are on the “ frail” side. Though frailty is typically inferring of as a attribute that affects much older ( over - age 70 ) adults, repeatedly women, it isn’ t always strictly associated with someone’ s age. If you, or someone you know, are frail, let me tell you about the rare health concerns that this description can pose.

Frailty Poses Special Health Concerns

In medical terms, frailty often means that you’ re of slighter build without a lot of muscle mass – most often from accidental weight loss. This weight loss can be a offshoot of several things, absence of adequate food, excessive smoking, alcohol drinking, chronic or acute health conditions, like COPD, intestinal disorders, cancer, ailment treatments, even depression.

Being frail with less muscle mass, you likely proceeding slower, have less endurance for physical animation and recurrently tiredness more easily. You may even hurting for assistance with activities of daily living in relish, showering, or just getting around. The extent of health care services, or composition in a nursing home depends upon the degree of declining fitness and physical endurance a person develops, as they get older.

As a frail person, you are at higher risk for certain health conditions such as:

Infections – the immune system of frail adults is much weaker than healthy adults. Simple infections can become very funereal in frail people.

Malnutrition – from not eating enough, and / or becoming deficient in crucial vitamins, minerals, and protein. Low vitamin D levels have recently been found in research out of Oregon State University to be associated with an increased risk of annihilation in frail persons. Many frail people do not get enough sun exposure and are deficient in vitamin D.

Low blood pressure – want of food and fluids intake can termination in low blood pressure, which puts frail people at much higher risk of expiration. Recent studies out of the University of Oregon show higher than regular blood pressures in frail people may without reservation be more grasping to their overall health and survival.

Can Frailty Be Treated?

Ok, of course! It’ s never too delayed to try and turn around nutritional deficiencies and muscle mass loss that has lead to a languorous, frail sort. If you have a chronic health kind that has lead to your frailty, keeping good strength and nutritional station will likely be an unraveling affair for you. Working to maintain good nutrition and physical endurance, though, will help you feel better and dominate your particular health contention better. It will also keep you excitation stronger and help you stay more independent – especially as you get older.

Here are some things I encourage to my frail patients:

Optimize nutrition.

Make use of vitamin / mineral fortified supplement shakes to advocate any nutritional deficits you may have. Try to prepare high nutrition meals. One of the most common causes of frailty in adults is poor food preparation. Regularly, older adults living alone wrap up for eating a can of fluctuation instead of taking the time to prepare a higher calorie, balanced nutritious meal. If you need help preparing meals, perhaps a ally, family helping, or even a neighbor can help you with this. There are also populace outreach programs that furtherance with meal preparation and / or statement of fictional meals.

Aerobic Exercise.

Though you may not feel strong enough to exercise, next to building your nutrition, it is one of the most important things you can do to deprivation frailty. It not only helps your muscles get stronger, it helps your breathing capacity, blood flow throughout your body, and brightens your vein. Start by ambulatory 10 minutes a day; get a cohort or family fraction to go with you if necessary. Move ahead the length of your hike every future to build up your endurance. If you have entrance to a mortals pool, moving in the shallow limitation, or paddling on a board, can also help build strength and endurance.

Resistance Exercise.

You don’ t have to go to a gym to do resistance exercise. Fill a few flexible milk jugs halfway with water at first. Standing or sitting, practice lifting them off the ground to shoulder height. Then extend them slowly over your head. As you get stronger, fill the jugs a little fuller. Vary with squatting to pick up the jugs, straightening to a standing position several times a day. When you get stronger, doing resistance exercise with gym machines can help build muscle and strength even faster.

Stop smoking, excessive alcohol drinking.

Heavy smokers and / or alcohol drinkers are frequently malnourished and / or frail. They also have lower lung capacities and impaired blood / oxygen flow throughout their body. Ask your doctor about the many programs available to help you abandon smoking and / or drinking.

Frailty is a character I raise my patients avoid at any age – especially as they get older. It can be one of the most important reasons for your loss of independence. If you have specific medical conditions that have lead to your frailty, work with your doctor to create a far-reaching plan to help your frail factor return to strength and health.

Stay well,

Mark Rosenberg, M. D.

Natural Health Story - http: / / www. healthyanswers. com