Osteoporosis is a disease that involves a loss of bone density. A large number of people that have this disease don’t even know that they have it. They might live for years with the disease and be perfectly fine, until a stumble or even a routine activity results in a catastrophic broken bone. When this happens, it can be a life changing event. And contrary to popular opinion, it’s not just women that can get osteoporosis; men can suffer from this disease, too.
New data suggests that many stroke patients are at a higher risk than others when it comes to osteoporosis. In fact, research that has emerged from the American Heart Association states that a lot of people who are recovering from a stroke are never screened for osteoporosis, even though the known risk of this is high in this particular population.
If someone has suffered a stroke, they are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis–and the complications that come with it–than the general population is. Unfortunately, because of the severity of a stroke, checking in on this aspect of life is often an afterthought. Osteoporosis is treatable and the impact that this disease can have on someone can be devastating if it is left unchecked. It is not something that must be treated by itself and those who have had a stroke can also be treated for this. However, because a stroke has such an immediate concern for safety associated with it, osteoporosis is sometimes ignored.
Osteoporosis can be debilitating and it can necessitate lifestyle changes, but there are things that can be done to help those suffering from this disease live a better lifestyle without too many major changes or disruptions to life. These changes can help our elderly loved ones (and even ourselves) to live a higher quality of life.
Any sort of life changing event can make the need for senior care occur a lot sooner than what was originally anticipated. These things can take us off guard and unprepared, but being able to react quickly and accurately is important. The only way to make sure that you are making good decisions coming out of an event like this is to have done a little bit of research ahead of time. That way, you aren’t making decisions about an unknown thing with little to no information on your side. Instead, you are making a far more educated decision, one that is more likely to have a positive impact on the health of a loved one.
No two situations are the same, and even if you are well prepared ahead of time for making these senior care decisions, some unique decisions and obstacles are likely to pop up. However, the more you know–about managing osteoporosis, a stroke, or anything–the more accurate and helpful the final decision that you do make will be. There’s no easy outcomes here, but with some assistance, you can help your mom or dad to find the type of care that will help them and your family the most.
Leave a Reply