Stress is something that everyone experiences throughout their life. When it just happens randomly, it usually isn’t a problem. However, when stress is more chronic, that is when it starts affecting one’s health and lifestyle. Does your elderly loved one experience chronic and/or moderate to severe stress? If so, it is important that you and your loved one’s senior care providers watch for how stress is affecting their life. If you notice these issues, you should talk to your elderly loved one about their stress to see if you can help in any way.
Having an Upset Stomach
Does it seem like your elderly loved one gets an upset stomach often? If this is happening, but your elderly loved one doesn’t have any gastrointestinal diseases, stress could be the cause of it. The lining of the stomach is delicate. When someone experiences stress, it can lead to irritation of that lining. This can cause diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, and stomach cramps. Some people will even have severe stomach pains as a result of stress.
Heart Disease
Many people don’t think much of stress. Even when it affects their life regularly, they don’t think anything will go wrong because of it. However, research shows that stress can lead to heart disease. This is because stress can cause increased blood pressure levels. When blood pressure is high on a regular or long-term basis, it can lead to heart attacks and other heart-related problems. If you or a senior care provider suspects that your elderly loved one’s stress is causing heart issues, be sure to talk to them about it right away. It is important that things don’t get worse.
Neurodegenerative Conditions
Neurodegenerative conditions, such as dementia, can be caused by chronically increased levels of stress. As mentioned above, if someone is just stressed randomly, it shouldn’t cause this type of issue. However, when it is a regular thing, there is a much higher risk of having dementia. Research shows that this is related to heart issues and decreased blood flow to the brain. If your elderly loved one is experiencing higher levels of stress, see if you or a senior care provider can help them with it before something like this happens.
Handling Stress with Senior Care Services
These are some of the many ways that stress could impact your elderly loved one’s health. If your elderly loved one has chronic stress that is moderate to severe, make sure you or a senior care provider talk to them about it. It is best to have them make changes or get treatment for their stress before it causes health issues.
Sources: https://www.elderly.gov.hk/english/healthy_ageing/mental_health/stress.html