Sensing the changes that come with aging

Both physical and psychological changes are a normal part of aging, but those changes don’t have to be debilitating. It’s important for people to be aware of differences in what is “normal” or “typical” in order to live a healthy, safe and active lifestyle. Bayhealth Primary Care, Milford – Airport Road Physician Olivia Castro, DO, offers some suggestions to help recognize and deal with the aging process.

• Have an annual physical. “It’s very important for people to have an annual visit with their primary care doctor to monitor changes,” she said. During each office visit, your doctor records data, and on subsequent visits they can look for differences and variations to determine if there is a negative impact on your health and safety. In addition, a primary care doctor will be able to detect the onset of chronic health conditions, including diabetes, dementia and heart disease, and offer a referral to a specialist, if that becomes necessary.

• Some sensory changes are considered a normal part of aging. Your doctor can order tests to determine if vision and sight changes, for example, are caused by aging or if there is disease state occurring.

• Get screened for fall risks.

“Proprioceptors — receptors that respond to position and movement in our bodies — change with age, and individuals will often experience falls, changes in balance and dizziness.

Simple things like canes and walkers can help reduce frequency of falls,” Dr. Castro said. Vision deficits can also cause falls, and some people might become more sedentary due to fear of falling.

• Some changes in typical sensory experiences may stem from other causes. “Some patients experience bitter taste and complain of decreased appetite with age. This can be due to depression, dementia, diabetes, or even vitamin/ mineral deficiencies,”

Dr. Castro explained. • Sensory changes may affect an elderly person’s desire to socialize with family members or peers. Social connection is important, yet conditions that can be addressed with simple devices, such as hearing loss or vision, might limit not only physical mobility such as driving, but also lead to feeling uncomfortable around other people.

“It’s important for everyone to schedule an annual visit with their primary care physician,” said Dr. Castro, adding that it’s even more important for senior citizens to be monitored by a professional. ■