Try: Alcohol is the drug of choice for most older care recipients cr unfortunately it is also the most damaging drug to the human body in terms of physical health cognitive functioning and ability to live independently alcohol is the drug most responsible for diminishing the cr’s abilities alcohol impacts every organ in the body since the aging body is unable to metabolize alcohol as quickly as it once did alcohol stays in the system longer causing more damage to the organs the following is list of the ways alcoholism and heavy alcohol consumption impacts the cr’s body heart predisposes cr’s to heart conditions especially heart failure coronary artery disease defects in the heart heart’s conduction system and arrhythmia alcohol can cause high blood pressure brain alcohol has a far greater effect on cognition than does aging it impairs judgment reasoning learning coordination memory and speech prolonged heavy drinking can cause brain damage in the cr pancreas alcohol causes pancreatitis it can also be a source of secondary diabetes bones and blood alcohol contributes to osteoporosis lowers one’s ability to fight off disease causes anemia and increases the likelihood of bruising digestive tract alcohol affects the health of the esophagus stomach and intestines in the cr it can cause gastritis bleeding ulcers and colitis alcohol reduces the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals which can lead to a wide range of symptoms and health problems kidneys alcohol can cause edema and body fluid retention it can cause nephritis which can lead to permanent kidney damage bladder it can cause frequency of urination and incontinence it decreases resistance to infections liver alcohol is responsible for many serious liver conditions including jaundice hepatitis low and high blood sugar levels cancer alcohol increases the risk for several types of cancer including leukemia lymphoma breast cancer and cancer of the lung urinary track esophagus larynx and brain information references www agingandaddiction net

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Addiction substance abuse

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Some care recipients cr struggle with prescription drug abuse as crs age their bodies absorb metabolize distribute and eliminate drugs differently than when they were younger normal adult doses of medication both prescription and over-the-counter can cause dangerous side effects and toxicity due to age older crs may misuse medications without knowing it some crs or seniors intentionally abuse mood-altering medications sleeping aids tranquillizers and pain pills are common medications of abuse seeking pleasurable effects or attempting to ease feelings of grief and loneliness crs take larger doses than recommended over time they develop a tolerance to the drug achieving the same effect requires more and more of the drug family members may believe that when a cr becomes addicted to prescription drugs the primary care physician will diagnose the problem unfortunately many doctors overlook abuse in older patients caregivers sometimes ignore a suspected addiction to prescription drugs out of a misguided sense of protecting the cr’s privacy they allow the problem to continue thinking the cr and his doctor will handle the problem but this can lead to even bigger problems caregivers must educate themselves partner with medical professionals consult with addiction specialists and learn to properly intervene on addiction information references www agingandaddiction net

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Substance abuse addiction

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Decisional capacity can be defined as the ability of care recipients cr to make their own health care decisions decision-making capacity should not be confused with the legal concept of competence they are two distinct terms for the cr’s medical and legal purposes incompetence is a legal determination made by a court of law while the court may consider information about a cr’s decision-making capacity in making a competency determination the terms are not synonymous for example someone who is judged legally incompetent to handle their financial affairs may retain sufficient decision-making capacity to make meaningful decisions about medical treatment also crs who have normal cognitive functioning may be put into circumstances where their decision-making capacity is temporarily impaired by severe pain or overwhelming anxiety or confusion decision-making capacity is generally situation-specific thus a person may have capacity to consent to a low-risk activity or procedure in normal circumstances but not have the capacity to consent to a high-risk procedure when he is confused or under duress information references www irb ucsd edu

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Communication, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Capacity decision making

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Decisional capacity can be defined as the ability of care recipients cr to make their own health care decisions more generally the phrase decision-making capacity refers to a cr’s ability to make a meaningful decision about whether or not to participate in an activity usually medical it is generally thought to include at least the following four elements understanding the ability to comprehend the disclosed information about the nature and purpose of the activity the procedures involved as well as the risks and benefits; appreciation the ability to appreciate the significance of the disclosed information and the potential risks and benefits for one’s own situation and condition; reasoning the ability to engage in a reasoning process about the risks and benefits of participating versus alternatives and; the ability to express a choice about whether or not to participate information references www irb ucsd edu

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Decisional capacity awareness

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Many factors can cause or contribute to the care recipient’s cr concentration problems the following are potential physical factors physical factors exhaustion irregular sleep patterns unbalanced diet and hunger lack of exercise stress medications alcohol or drug abuse psychological factors boredom daydreaming overload fear guilt mental burnout avoidance intimidation lack of motivation information references www nativeremedies com

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Concentration focus

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Many factors can cause or contribute to the care recipient’s cr concentration problems the following are potential external factors environmental factors noise television telephone internet and email poor lighting temperature visual stimulation strong odors activity personal factors personal issues and interruption from other people such as family spouse or friends information references www nativeremedies com

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Concentration focus

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Many caregivers find that the Care recipient (cr) struggles with concentration conventional prescription medications are often used to improve concentration in crs while there is a place for prescription medication in certain cases of hyperactivity careful consideration and caution should be taken regarding possible side effects in the cr there are also alternative treatment options available for treating adults with hyperactivity making simple changes in diet sleep exercise and routine can help even trying more involved approaches like incorporating relaxation therapies like guided imagery meditation techniques and yoga can be beneficial as an alternative approach there are also many herbal remedies which can help maintain health in the brain and nervous system without side effects or sedation these products are known for their supportive function in maintaining brain nervous system and circulatory health and well-being information references www nativeremedies com

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Concentration focus

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Many caregivers find that the Care recipient (cr) struggles with concentration oftentimes it is difficult to focus attention when the material is uninteresting or complex when there is some physical discomfort when there is an emotional distraction like sadness or irritability or when there are sound or visual distractions concentration problems in younger crs may also be early signs of learning disorders or disabilities and if persistent or distracting from daily functioning should be evaluated by a healthcare professional a cr cr’s sustainable level of concentration is dependent on a combination of the following factors dedication or commitment to the task at hand interest in the task skill and ability to perform the task a content emotional and physical state an appropriate environment with few distractions while this process may not last very long at first it can be possible to improve concentration problems with practice and focusing techniques concentration can be improved information references www nativeremedies com

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Concentration focus

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Epilepsy affects every age group the rate of people newly diagnosed epilepsy is actually higher in older care recipients cr than in middle-aged adults as in younger people the cause of epilepsy that begins in an elderly cr cannot be determined in about half of the cases in crs where the cause can be determined the largest number of cases are caused by stroke often a small one that did not cause other symptoms degenerative disorders such as alzheimer alzheimer’s disease and tumors are other significant causes older crs are more sensitive than younger people to a variety of mental physical and environmental stressors they are also more likely to develop many medical neurological and psychiatric disorders some of which can make seizures more likely to occur such disorders that are common in older crs include metabolic changes such as very high or very low blood sugar very low sodium levels and diabetes information references epilepsy com

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Epilepsy seizure seniors

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Seizures are very common in older adults seizures are often overlooked and mistakenly diagnosed as other conditions that can occur in older care recipients cr crs who have frequent events of loss of memory language changes loss of consciousness tremor or sensory or numbness changes should consider whether they are having seizures the most common early seizure symptoms associated with older crs is that of dizziness however dizziness is one of the most common symptoms for many other conditions which can then lead to an alternative diagnosis by your physician common conditions that seizures are mistaken for include transient ischemic attacks tia transient memory problems fainting spells migraine headaches tremors or panic attacks also seizures in older adults are most likely to be complex partial seizures complex partial seizures in older crs may present as confusion or memory lapse for which the person has no clear recollection of what has occurred therefore it is not that uncommon to mistake this seizure type for some other type of medical problem information references epilepsy com

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Epilepsy seizure

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed