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As you grow old, your health starts to deteriorate. Everything, whether it is your mental health or your physical health, starts to slow down. However, with age, your mental health gets overshadowed by your physical health.
If you note these signs in your ageing parents or grandparents, take note of it. Try to get involved with them. It is also important to ensure that they have a separate social circle apart from the family. This way, they can have friends who they can also relate to.
With age, suggests Sinha, you are more prone to be depressed, and anxious. “Mental health conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorders are not something that happens when you grow older. You may have been living with these for the last 40 years, but the management differs, she suggests.
As you grow old, your symptoms start to overlap with other mental health conditions. For the proper treatment professionals use differential diagnosis, suggests Sinha. “The lines become blurred and to differentiate the symptoms from one mental health condition to another becomes difficult,” she says.
There are also food habits like eating leafy vegetables, nuts, fish, virgin coconut and beans that help with brain functions.
Sinha suggests that keeping a social circle and continuing your hobbies can help your mind stay healthy. “Men especially face this issue, after they retire, they feel like they are at the loss of authority, and they start to lose control. It is thus important to keep doing things and learning a new skill to keep your brain active. While for women, since they continue taking care of the house, their brain stays active,” she says.
Cognitive stimulation is the key, especially to managing dementia, she notes.
“Just with weight training, you push your body and after a while, it becomes your muscle memory. Same with the brain. However, one should not get into solving too many puzzles, or trivia after being diagnosed with dementia. Because that would mean you are making your already injured brain exercise which might lead to agitation,” she recommends.
“The most important part is for the caregiver to understand what is happening and come to terms with the conditions. Because the elderly with cognitive conditions are not able to understand, they cannot be told or instructed to do anything. Thus, the responsibility is solely on the caregiver,” points out Sinha.
So, what can be done?
Reach out to therapists and counsellors to know the ways to create such a healthy environment.
She suggests adopting the same approach that you do with kids and with your pets. This is when you focus on gestures, body language and mood over language. Due to cognitive disorders, parents experience a loss of language and the only way to communicate and to understand what they are communicating is through these means.
Create a healthy environment by agreeing with them and listening to their stories. The responsibility of creating a safe environment is totally with you.
There might be times when your parents may do socially unacceptable or non-compliance behaviour. But it is important to understand the triggers and ensure that the triggers do not occur anymore.
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A visit to the emergency ward (ER) of a hospital can definitely feel scary, and you want every reason to avoid ending up there as a patient. From broken bones to life-threatening emergencies, it’s a place filled with urgency, uncertainty, and intense emotions. Imagine what doctors and other health workers face every day.
However, while many cases are unavoidable, there are several that can be completely prevented, said doctors, while sharing a few. These include:
However, ignoring symptoms like a persistent stomachache or a nagging cough can allow a condition to worsen over time, eventually leading to an emergency.
“People say, ‘It’s pretty mild. I’m not worried about it,’” Dr. Evelyn Huang, an emergency-room physician with Orlando Health, was quoted as saying to Time.
“Days become weeks, weeks become months, and months can even become years, and by the time they're seeing me, these things have progressed so far that they’re now something dangerous.”
Seeking timely medical advice and not delaying checkups can help prevent complications and avoid unnecessary ER visits, the expert said.
Dr. Cheyenne Falat, assistant medical director of the adult emergency department at University of Maryland Medical Center stated that every time a patient comes ER with a drowning case, he hears the same story.
“I would have been watching them, but I thought the babysitter was watching them. I thought my spouse was watching them. I thought their grandparents were watching them.”
The doctor recommended instead starting swimming lessons as early as possible. She also urged for fences with childproof gates near pools.
People often don’t realize how quickly conditions can turn.
“They think, ‘I won’t be at risk for hypothermia because it's a little warmer during the day,’” said Falat. “Then they sweat,” which can leave their clothing damp and their bodies more vulnerable once temperatures drop.
Heat-related illnesses include mild dehydration to heat exhaustion and, in the most extreme cases, heat stroke, which can be deadly.
Recently, for example, he treated a young woman who came to the ER with neck pain, a hoarse voice, and bruising; she assured Yoo that she had wanted her partner to choke her. “I’m not judging anyone who enjoys this, but it's way more dangerous than people think,” he said.
A harmless party drug -- gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, or GHB -- can also turn life-threatening. It is a clear, odorless substance sometimes called “liquid ecstasy.”
While in small amounts, it can make people feel relaxed or euphoric, but when taken in overdose, it can lead to unconscious and breathing difficulties. “It’s one of the most awful sights,” Yoo said , adding that in severe cases, some patients need to be put on a ventilator to survive.
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In today’s hyper-connected world, access to health information has never been easier. Yet, ironically, the ability to understand and apply that information remains one of the biggest barriers to better health outcomes.
This is where health literacy comes in, not just the ability to read a pamphlet or follow a doctor’s prescription, but the broader skill of accessing, comprehending, and using health information to make informed decisions for oneself, one’s family, and one’s community.
While definitions vary, there is consensus that health literacy is multi-dimensional. It involves confidence, critical thinking, and practical skills, knowing when to seek care, how to evaluate health claims, and how to follow treatment correctly. In essence, health literacy is the foundation of preventive care and treatment adherence, and its absence can be devastating.
The scale of the problem in India is stark: nearly 90 percent of Indians have low health literacy. This gap directly affects patient outcomes, from delayed diagnoses and poor compliance with treatment to preventable complications and higher healthcare costs.
Several factors explain this reality:
Low health literacy doesn’t just harm individuals; it amplifies inequities and strains the entire healthcare ecosystem. It also worsens misinformation, as people turn to social media or word-of-mouth for guidance, often encountering unverified or unsafe advice.
Certain health check ups can help improve the chances of conception. (Photo credit: iStock)
Planning for pregnancy is an important step that requires proper health preparation for both partners. Preconception health screening helps couples understand fertility status and detect any underlying health issues. Doctors recommend that couples undergo certain medical tests before trying to conceive so that any health concerns can be identified and managed early. Here are some of the tests before pregnancy that can help couples identify potential risks early and improve the chances of a healthy pregnancy. Couples should opt for these tests without fail to ensure a smooth pregnancy.
While many people focus on health during pregnancy, preparing for pregnancy is also equally important. By opting for some crucial tests, couples can improve their chances of a smooth pregnancy and reduce the risk of complications.
Dr. Payal Narang, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Motherhood Hospital, Lullanagar, in an interview with Health and Me, listed some of the important health check-ups for men and women that must be considered before pregnancy.
Couples should follow the advice given by the doctor and take these tests for a smooth pregnancy.
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