Things in the world around us wear out, so why are we surprised if we do too? Many conditions, like changes in vision, result from predicable age-related physical changes common to almost everyone. Other conditions are not specifically considered diseases of age, but end up correlating with age because they result from overuse. The longer we’ve used and abused our knees, hips, hearts, lungs, etc., the more problems they develop. The most common chronic conditions among older people include osteoarthritis, diabetes, and diminished sensory capacity. These conditions can only be managed, not cured.
As a young old person with mild osteoarthritis and few other health problems, there are many conditions that I know nothing about (as yet). Discussion awaits reader input. Please share information and experiences.
Osteoarthritis
As we age, our bodies become more susceptible to illness and debility. Osteoarthritis (OA), aka degenerative joint disease, involves the degeneration of joints and loss of cartilage, resulting in pain. According to Wikipedia, OA is the leading cause of chronic disability in the United States, affecting some 27 million people.
OA isn’t considered an inevitable part of aging though it primarily affects old people, since they’ve used their bodies longer. OA remembers all those sprains and strains we incurred during our youth and middle age. The sites of previous injuries are particularly susceptible to OA. Was my shoulder pain last winter really due to my dislocating that shoulder when I was 40? That’s what the physical therapist said, even though I’d been pain-free for 25 years.
OA is also highly correlated with obesity, which puts extra stress on joints.
OA is elusive. As my doctor informed me: it flares up, it dies down. Days of pain may be followed by pain-free weeks and months. Then it recurs. Stress and the weather are often cited as contributing to flare-ups. Acupuncture may or may not relieve it. Glucosamine may or may not relieve it. Light exercise is probably better than no exercise, even if it hurts.
OA can affect any joint in the body. As it progresses, the affected joint may appear larger due to swelling and may be stiff and painful. When the pain becomes severe enough, joint replacement – especially hip and knee – is often prescribed.
We can only be grateful that OA is common enough to motivate R&D on solutions and cures for it. Demand for joint replacements has grown so rapidly that it’s fair to say there are new products and advances every month. And overall, products are getting better and more various. The downside is that promising products are being rushed to market with little or no track record, so we’re taking a gamble when we use them.
Osteoarthritis in an otherwise healthy young old person like myself is periodic and manageable. But it can become a major affliction causing chronic pain and rendering movement unbearable. At that point, what are the options? I have no personal experience of severe osteoarthritis; if you do, please share your story.
You’ll have to decide with your doctor when to treat and what the best treatment options are. Keep these thoughts in mind:
- Treatments are improving daily. Thus, the longer you postpone an intervention, the likelier it is that something better will be available. In addition, more will be known about how well currently used approaches are working.
- Recognize that when you chose a treatment, you’re taking part in an experiment, especially if the treatment has been available only for a few years. There are no guarantees against undesirable side or after effects.
- Exercise is essential to the success of joint therapy. The stronger the muscles that control movement of the joint, the more quickly you’ll recover.
- Following through on post-treatment physical therapy is essential. If you can’t commit to the program, don’t expect the treatment to be a success.
A personal story: OA and My Knees
Diabetes
Diabetes was once confined to a small population. Now it’s a scourge among the population at large, especially the senior population. According to Wikipedia, Type 2 diabetes is “associated with a ten-year-shorter life expectancy.”
Diabetes is a miserable and costly condition, but it’s one that can be successfully managed through monitoring and lifestyle changes. CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) is well aware of this and is supporting various initiatives aimed at producing better outcomes, including Special Needs Medicare Advantage Plans for Diabetics.
I have no personal experience with diabetes. If you do, please share your knowledge and experience.
Diminished Sensory Capacities
Aging is associated with diminished vision, hearing, taste, smell, and probably touch. The most consequential losses for daily life are vision and hearing. By the time we’re 60, most of us need glasses for reading if not for everything. Bifocals, progressives, drugstore readers, implanted corrective lenses, and more. Google Glass aims to give us bionic capacity.
Age-related hearing loss is also common. According to the National Institute on Deafness and other communication disorders (NIDCD), 33% of those over 60 and 50% of those over 85 have hearing problems that interfere with social activities and driving safety. The solution? Ever improving technology.
Hearing aids are not covered by Medicare and are quite costly. There are numerous kinds, all touted in full-page newspaper ads paid for by audiologists who are also vendors of devices. Those two off-putting factors, along with the well-known association of hearing loss with age, contribute to the fact that most people wait five to eight years after experiencing noticeable hearing loss before seeking a solution.
Encouraged by a NYT article, Conjuring Images of a Bionic Future, I recently faced my own hearing loss and acquired hearing aids. Check out My Hearing Aid Adventure.
Hearing aids are still new to me. I tend to use them like reading glasses, taking them off when I don’t need them. This is not recommended, but I’m enough aware of them in my ears to find them distracting. Please share your advice and experience as I embark on my hearing-aided future.
As in other areas of aging-related debility, researchers are busily devising better solutions, from implantable devices to aid those with glaucoma to a dizzying variety of devices to augment hearing. Procedures like cataract surgery, once considered high-risk, are now so routine they’re done on an outpatient basis. It’s reasonable to expect continued breakthroughs in improving hearing and eyesight in the elderly.
Blindness and deafness beyond the help of mechanical aids are common in extreme old age. There are some resources available but I have no personal knowledge of these conditions. If you do, please share your knowledge and experience.
Resources
Vision Problems Among Aging Adults provides a long list of problems whose incidence increases with age, from nearsightedness to glaucoma.
Northeastern University provides a great, readable, summary of the biology of aging, with links to resources for specific diseases and other health related topics.
For more information about OA: