One of the long-term consequences of our high inflation rate is that many middle-aged people are having to look after their parents. And let’s face it, you’re not exactly a child yourself anymore and chances are your parents are 20 – 30 years older than you. How healthy are they, which diseases are the elderly prone to and which symptoms should you be looking out for?

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“Having your parents living with you is not easy at the best of times, especially if your relationship was somewhat stressed to begin with”, says Ilse Pauw, Cape Town psychologist. “There are many control issues that can surface, and health and symptoms of ill-health are often areas of great contention. Many elderly people experience recommendations of lifestyle changes from their children as interference, and can get quite resentful. These recommendations are best left to the professionals.”

“It must also be remembered that lifestyle changes, such as stopping smoking or drinking, starting to take regular exercise, cutting out certain foodstuffs and remembering to take medication are never easy to achieve, and the older you get, the more effort it could take to achieve these lifestyle changes.”

“There are other problems involved, such as minimising the seriousness of symptoms the elderly may be experiencing and reluctance to consult a GP regularly. This is often as a result of fear of hospitalisation or institutionalisation or a very real fear that the chest pain may be something more serious than muscle strain.”

So which diseases are your elderly parents most likely to suffer from and what are their symptoms?

Arthritis. This could be osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms of these include joint pain, greater immobility, hesitancy to partake in physical activities that were enjoyed before and sudden, constant taking of painkillers.

Prostate problems/bladder problems. Obviously the prostate problems could only be experienced by men, but both these problems are often characterised by frequent urination and obvious discomfort. Sometimes they can also have urinary incontinence or inability to urinate as a result.

Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s and stroke. Parkinson’s disease is most often characterized by tremors, especially in the hands. The onset of Alzheimer’s is often gradual and could include forgetfulness, inappropriate behaviour, lack of domestic organisation, disorientation and a changing of normal routine or habits. Mild strokes are often not immediately apparent, but could be characterised by sudden inability to do normal tasks or to become suddenly forgetful.

Cardiovascular diseases. Among these are congestive heart failure, valvular heart disease and hypertension (high blood pressure.) These often don’t have obvious symptoms, unless the person has arrhythmia. Chest pain and breathlessness can sometimes be present, but heart disease can strike out of the blue, with no prior warning.

Type 2 diabetes. The most common symptom is a sudden increase in both water intake and urination. Sudden weight loss or weight gain is another symptom. If left untreated, diabetes can have very serious consequences, especially in the elderly.

Cancer. The types of cancer could include breast, prostate, colon or lung cancer. These are the most common types of cancer in the elderly, although by no means the only ones. Cancer in the early stages is difficult to diagnose, but are sometimes characterised by non-painful lumps or tumours, a sudden unexplained weight loss, lethargy or a difference in the way a person’s body functions. Regular checkups are essential for everyone, and all the more so for the elderly.

Depression. Many elderly people suffer from depression. Often they feel isolated, their spouses have died, their social lives are dwindling, they have financial worries and their health may be giving them problems. Be on the lookout for classic signs of depression in your parents, such as early morning waking, a change in eating patterns and a negativity about activities that were formerly enjoyed. – (Susan Erasmus, Health24)

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	frustrating 2008/10/01 12:05:17 PM I have so much to do - and then have to spend hours trying to convince my father to go to the doctor when he clearly needs to do it. How do I handle this? - Linda   Depression 2008/10/01 12:07:09 PM My mother depresses us all - she complains non-stop about everything and everyone. Nothing is ever good enough. When we avoid her, because we can' t stand this ranting anymore, then we really get it in the neck. We' ve basically had it. - Pete   hypocondriac 2008/10/01 12:09:23 PM My mother wants to go to the doctor all the time, even though nothing is wrong. She keeps on thinking there' s something seriously wrong with her, like cancer, when she' s actually much healthier than I am. I wish I could change places for a while with someone who has the oposite problem. - Roelene   Check up' s 2008/10/01 12:33:36 PM My father has never been a doctor person, how do i encourage him to go for a check up? Although he is healthy and fit for his age i don' t want him to just keel over one day. - Daniel   Know it all 2008/10/01 12:39:07 PM My dad' s a know it all who doesn' t really believe in modern medicine. He reckons ' all this medical nonsense'  is just a money making scheme. - Will   Mom doesn' t listen 2008/10/01 03:45:22 PM My mom has got high cholesterol for which shes is being treated for and has had a couple of small heart attacks. But she won' t stop going to the Wimpy on Fridays for lunch. She won' t cut the fat off meat. Her diet has stayed the same and when I remind her to eat healthy she ignores me. So I thought to myself, well shes living day by day, happily and if that' s the way she wants to go, then so be it. - Celia   Mom 2008/10/01 04:42:53 PM My dad died of emphysema. Always having been a smoker, my mother now smokes about 3 to 4 packs a day. We are all concerned but daren' t mention it. She denies that she smokes so much, and says that doctor says her lungs are clear. Does she really think we are idiots? - mom
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