Healthy Living: Taking care of the elderly

We spend much time on our newscast talking with experts about how to keep our youth alive and interested in having a productive life. But it’s rare that we speak about those people who did listen to the experts and their families and have lived over two thirds of an entire century. In this segment of Healthy Living, we examine how to care for the elderly, and though medical care is an issue, it is not always a doctor that they need.

Eileen Agusta, Centenarian (September 16, 2008)
“Old lady di een, bwai”

Marleni Cuellar, Reporting
It’s Senior Citizen’s week. It’s the one week dedicated each year to honor the older persons living in our society. So much emphasis is placed on the youth that it seems at times we’ve forgotten those who have paid their dues and continue to live amongst us today. And as the baby boomers come of age; we are seeing an increased population of elderly persons who are living longer lives.

Dr. Daniel Godinez, Internal Medicine Specialist
“I would say that certainly we are seeing people living longer. I’m not sure if the quantity of life goes hand in hand with the quality of life they are having.”

In the absence of a geriatrics doctor, that is a doctor who specializes in the care for the elderly, most Belizeans turn to general practitioners and other specialists to address the health concerns of the elders. Dr. Daniel Godinez is an internal medicine specialist; he has worked with many elder patients in his career.

Dr. Daniel Godinez
“The elderly patients have special needs, one of the reasons for that is that they start developing a lot different diseases that are unique to that group of persons.”

Help Age organization works daily with the elderly persons in our society. We asked them to tell us about the health problems that they encounter in their line of work.

Sharon Polack, Executive Director, Help Age
“I would say the major concern for us is diabetes and so we have to make healthier snacks which they don’t like; they want the sugar. So they go “this thing is not sweet enough”. But I keep educating them to the fact that they have to help them to stop the deterioration because they’re becoming blind and we’re dealing with kidney failure due to diabetes that is not taken care of.”

But diabetes is only one of a long list of conditions that senior citizens are prone to develop in their golden years.

Dr. Daniel Godinez
“That includes cardiac disease, that includes high blood pressure, that includes diabetes, that includes cancer, that includes osteoporosis. And usually the problem we have is that elderly patients, when they fall down they tend to have fractures very easily and very important problems with the, intellect that is the memory, memory loss, dementia and alzheimers.”

Polack says that in their work with the elderly they do encounter cases of hypertension as well. But another major concern that they find quite common is obesity.

Sharon Polack
“I would say one of the major factors is obesity and with obesity it is so hard for them to move about and so that also causes them to be bed ridden eventually and its really hard to look after somebody who is really big. I find the healthiest ones are the ones who walk. Walking is a really big help for them.”

Walking and other forms of exercise are very important for elderly persons. Most family members are usually fearful to move their loved one around in fear of fractures and falls. But lack of physical activity may actually lead to immobility as their muscular system will become wasted. One of the common breaks experienced in senior years is a broken hip. We encountered one such scenario earlier this week.

Marion Williams, Centenarian
“Mostly is this hip because I could si. Thatnk God I could si good ways you know. I haffu tek it easy wid dis. This is thing dat mek I haffu tek it easy. First I neva use to. Run downstairs and I run come up.”

Dr. Godinez emphasized that exercise is very important for elderly persons.

Dr. Daniel Godinez
“Exercise, even in bed passive movement, flexing and stretching, rotation of the feet and the arms things like that can go along way to keep them healthy.”

But the special needs for elderly persons extend beyond their physical maintenance.

Dr. Daniel Godinez
“They need a lot of emotional support, they need a lot of family integration, they need to feel part of the family and they need to feel loved.”

Perhaps this advice is better taken from someone who walks in their shoes. Daisy Williams at eighty years of age is the caretaker for her centenarian mother. At the celebration of her mother’s hundred and fourth birthday her main words of wisdom in caring for the elderly involves the same ingredient.

Daisy Williams, Daughter of Centenarian
“All I could tell them they just have to care for their parents or even a stranga, love them – because dats all they want: love”