Signs of Major Health Care Concerns for Senior Citizens

If you are taking care of or even just checking in on your aging parents from time to time, you should be aware of the signs of major health care concerns for senior citizens. Read on to learn what to watch for.

If your parent suddenly loses weight without trying, this may be a sign of cancer, depression, or malnutrition. Take your parent to a physician for a check up if this happens.

Also pay close attention to your parents' personal hygiene. If your parent is having trouble taking care of him/herself, there might be serious underlying issues at play.

Finally, watch your parent to assess his/her mobility. Trouble getting around puts your parent at a high risk for falling, which is extremely dangerous.

Major Health Care Concerns for Senior Citizens - Depression

Clinical depression is just one of many major health care concerns for senior citizens. Depression in seniors is often underdiagnosed and can be difficult to treat.

Senior citizens actually have the highest suicide rate of all demographic groups in the U.S. Men over the age of 85 are at an especially high risk for suicide.

With the right interventions, depression in senior citizens will respond to treatment. Psychotherapy is usually the preferred method of treatment, with cognitive-behavioral therapy being the most effective therapy.

Most physicians tend to shy away from pharmacological interventions with seniors, as they tend to be very sensitive to medications. Additionally, many psychiatric medications interact with other drugs seniors commonly take.