Age makes it nearly impossible for older adults to stay away from chronic and other diseases. Study shows that in the United Kingdom, 20 per cent of seniors aged 65 years and older have 3 or more chronic health conditions as of 2021 (Statista). So, you may have a parent or grandparent who is living with a chronic disease right now. They may be affected by cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, dementia or other diseases. To manage such diseases, an elderly require help. Here, in this blog, we take a look at some of the most common diseases that affect seniors living in the United Kingdom and worldwide with statistical data and know how they can be helped.

In case you are looking for support for your elderly, you can rely on domiciliary caregivers, and to hire the best caregivers, contact leading domiciliary care agencies.

4 Common Diseases in Elderly With Statistical Details

Let’s check some of the facts about diseases that affect elderly people, and how you can help them.

Cardiovascular disease

In the United Kingdom, an estimated 65 per cent of older adults who are of 65 years of age are dealing with cardiovascular conditions (Statista). Cardiovascular disease affects the heart and the circulatory system. This illness can be fatal as it can cause congestive heart failure, hypertension, coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation. The mortality rate from cardiovascular disease in the UK in 2018 is 266 per 100, 000 (Statista). Therefore, elderly patients need to stay in proper care. Maintaining a proper lifestyle, for instance switching to a healthier diet, getting regular exercise and limiting salt intake can help. Further, they are also required to take medicines as have been prescribed by doctors. Hiring an in-home caregiver for them would be the best decision as they can help the elderly to maintain a routine, eat a healthy diet, exercise and with medicine management.

Hence, if you are someone who has an elderly patient at home, you must ensure that they are under proper care. So, if you are a resident of Kingston Upon Thames, and looking for caregivers, make sure that you hire the best domiciliary care in Kingston Upon Thames.

Dementia

Dementia entails a decline in mental function in the elderly and it causes memory loss, difficulty in reasoning, communication problems, coordination issues, and mood and behaviour problems. This is an age-related problem that affects many elderly people. In UK itself over 233 thousand people aged 90 and above have been diagnosed with dementia in 2018 (Statista). As per the same report, this number is expected to rise to a whopping 579 thousand by the year 2050. Dementia is one of the major symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, which is a progressive neurological disorder in aged people.

In the early stages, elderly people with dementia may experience changes in thinking, remembering and reasoning that affects their daily activities. Eventually, people with dementia will need constant support and help to lead their lives. They may need help with bathing, dressing, grooming, and medication management. Therefore, hiring a trained caregiver would help.

In case you are a resident of Croydon, and your elderly parent is affected with dementia, and you are looking for help, always make sure to hire the best domiciliary care in Kingston Upon Thames.

Diabetes

Diabetes is another highly prevalent disease that affects elderly people around the world. In 2021, it has been estimated that around 10.5% of the global adult population had diabetes which is around 537 million adults in concrete numbers (Statista). This number is expected to grow to 783 million by the year 2045 as per the same report. Further, the same report depicts that in the UK 8.2% of adults were affected by diabetes. While Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune condition, Type 2 diabetes is a more common problem in adults who are above 40 years of age. Such people need to regularly check their blood sugar levels, and maintain the level by making lifestyle changes, reducing sugar in their diet, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly.

So, for the elderly who are living with diabetes, having an attendant to keep them in check, helping them to maintain routine and following a restricted diet can help.

Arthritis

Arthritis is one of the most common conditions that affect elderly people across the world. Among all forms of arthritis, knee arthritis affects most people. In fact, as per Statista, in 2019 among all the osteoarthritis cases worldwide, 60.6 per cent of all osteoarthritis cases globally were found to be knee osteoarthritis. It has been estimated that globally around 50 per cent of older adults who are 65 or above are affected by arthritis as per CDC 2018 report. Also, according to Arthritis Health 2021, women are 40% more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis than men.

Arthritis causes joint pain, inflammation and restricts the movement of the patient. Elderly people with arthritis find it very difficult to manage the pain sometime, and the condition can worsen without proper care. Therefore, the elderly with arthritis problems require support and care. Such patients need to regular exercise to keep their muscles strong and active. Caregivers must be hired to keep the elderly suffering from arthritis active and live comfortable life. If you are looking for such help then you can contact any leading domiciliary care agency.

Conclusion

Age makes an individual’s body frail, and the mind weak. Hence, a spectrum of health conditions rises that range from chronic diseases to impaired social skills. In this blog, we have explored the number of individuals affected by the diseases, and understood why it is important to get in-home care help for them. Now, if you have an elderly, you must get in touch with a good domiciliary care agency to hire the best caregiver.