Four Common Health Issues in People Over 85

Instead of trying to hide the number of candles on your birthday cake, you should be happy and proud that you’ve reached the age that you have and are excited to continue living your life moving forward. 

As you would expect, as well as having no doubt experienced, as you age, minor common health issues begin to emerge, and here are four of the most common in people over the age of eighty-five. 

1. Asthma 

Asthma and other respiratory illnesses can afflict anyone of any age, background, gender or lifestyle, but coughing more regularly, a general breathlessness when completing simple tasks, and a tight and even painful sensation are more likely in older and elderly people. 

As periods of extreme cold can bring on a bout of asthma, protecting yourself by remaining inside during such weather, and indeed, doing your best to avoid contracting the flu, will help to keep asthma at bay and reduce the risk of a full-blown asthma attack. 

2. Bronchitis  

Another common health affliction in the over eighty-fives is bronchitis, a lung condition belonging under the umbrella term, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and one which begins simply by the irritation of individual bronchi inside the airway.

There are a whole host of signs and symptoms of bronchitis which may indicate the beginnings of the disease, and if you have two or more of the following that haven’t dissipated after a couple of days, make an appointment with your medical doctor: 

• Tiredness & fatigue

• A hacking mucus cough 

• Sore throat

• Painful sensation in the chest

• A blocked or excessively runny nose 

3. Deep Vein Thrombosis

You may already have experienced one or more blood clots in one or both of your legs, and in the same way as one can simply go away, either on its own or else with prescription medication from the doctor, it can lead to deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

There are several factors that increase the risk of older adults developing DVT in later life, and even though people who are overweight or have a family history of blood clots, one of the biggest contributors is spending too much time sitting down. 

The renowned and respected Langford Park care home staff pride themselves on ensuring that, as much as comfortably possible, every single one of their residents have the chance to get outside and exercise, even if this just consists of a slow amble around the grounds of a morning before breakfast. 

4. Memory-Based Illnesses

The fourth and final common health issue for the over eighty-fives is less to do with the health of the body and is more specifically related to their cognitive capacities. 

Memory-based illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, are unequivocally afflicted on people who are usually at least sixty years old. Symptoms of dementia include difficulty in judging distance and weight, remembering a detail from a lunch just twenty-four hours ago, and forgetting what you’re doing in the moment or even where you are.