Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis in Seniors
Being involved in 24-hour home care can put us up to some of the biggest challenges, such as monitoring a senior’s health, while also making sure that they are happy and comfortable. With this, seniors are susceptible to special illnesses and occurrences, such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Read on to learn more about what multiple sclerosis is, how to assess if your senior is suffering from it, and how to comfort/find treatment for a senior dealing with it.
What Is Multiple Sclerosis
24-Hour Home Care Darby, PA: Multiple Sclerosis
In short, multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the body eats away at the protective sheaths in nerve cells. This causes a large disconnect between the central nervous system and the body, leading to many symptoms such as pain, dizziness, vision loss, impaired coordination, etc.
Multiple sclerosis can also be difficult to find/track due to its exhibition in people. Some people may never experience symptoms of the disease, while others could be in immense pain for the rest of their lives. In addition to this, it is commonly found in seniors (usually people 40-50 and older), meaning it can be hard to track especially if someone is just beginning the process of needing 24-hour home care.
Multiple Sclerosis in Seniors
As mentioned, multiple sclerosis is commonly (and usually only) seen in seniors. When it affects someone around/over the age of 50, it is often referred to as “late-onset multiple sclerosis.” Some of the main symptoms include dizziness, loss of vision, impaired motor function, impaired speech, tingling/squeezing sensations, balance issues, pain, itching, etc.
There are multiple main causes of which it is thought to be correlated to. First off, scientists believe that DNA and genes have a large part to play, predisposing certain people’s immune systems to attack themselves. Some also claim that environmental factors such as stress, or vitamin levels can also prevent/affect someone’s chances of getting and maintaining multiple sclerosis.
In seniors, multiple sclerosis can look a little different, or start to mix in with other underlying factors. Usually, seniors often exhibit many declines in cognition such as speaking and memory when they have multiple sclerosis. Due to the natural aging process, this is often overlooked as regular biology, however, if these start to mix with other symptoms, it may be worth looking into.
Finding Help for Your Senior With Multiple Sclerosis
Once you find out that your senior has multiple sclerosis, it is important to assess and possibly find a form of treatment that could help their symptoms. With this, you can look in your area for doctors who may specialize in (late-onset) multiple sclerosis, who could help your senior greatly. In most cases, treatments revolve around physical therapy to help/manage pain, and medications that can block/suppress the immune system from attacking itself.
Conclusion
In the end, multiple sclerosis can be one of the most devastating diseases to have, especially as a senior. Together with a 24-hour home care professional, it is important to assess the extent of your senior’s multiple sclerosis, in order to help them manage it. There are a few main treatments, however, you should find a doctor that is familiar with multiple sclerosis, who works well with your senior!
24-hour home care caregivers can also help your senior with everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and transportation. Call us today and see if 24-hour home care is right for you!
If you or an aging loved one are considering 24-Hour Home Care in Darby, PA please contact the caring staff at True Direct Home Health Care today.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350274
https://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/late-onset-multiple-sclerosis
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/late-onset-multiple-sclerosis#causes
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350269
Doc, as he is called by everyone - staff, patients and clients - first experienced home health care and hospice care while as a colleg student at King's College as he cared for his mother every day while she first battled COPD and then lung cancer. It was during this time that he came to understand that caring for a patient was more than just clinical expertise.
"Admittedly, my strongest attribute is my communication skills and the simple fact that I love to help people. Even the smallest thing you can do for someone really can mean so much to them long term. In fact, it could change them forever. That's what providing quality personal home health care should be all about."
In his spare time, he cooks for homeless shelters and children's music and arts events. He also is highly involved in his local youth sports soccer academy as a coach and Board member.
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