How our bodies age is a complex mixture of our genetic background and how we interact with the environment around us. Because each individual is different on a genetic basis, and because everyone lives in slightly different conditions, it is impossible to determine the outcome of any one individual. But when we look at wide swatches of the population, we can gain more information. This is how insurance agencies operate. They look at mortuary tables and figure out what the odds are of people from certain backgrounds passing away early or suffering from some sort of major disease. This helps them to price out policies so that they remain profitable. But the aging process is much more than this.
Whether we like it or not, this is the way that our world, and our economy in particular, operates. Researchers are taking great strides to help people under this model, though. Look at psoriasis, for example. Psoriasis is the most common autoimmune disease in the country, affecting about 1 to 2 percent of the population. It manifests itself as dry, flaky, red, or scaly skin, and can be accompanied by severe arthritic symptoms. Recent research is attempting to figure out why psoriasis begins in some people and not in others. There are now at least 63 different biomarkers that are linked to psoriasis. Some people who have these biomarkers have psoriasis, others don’t. It is impossible to tell how these things influence the disease, but researchers believe that environmental factors combined with these factors can trigger the disease. For example, some doctors believe that childhood infection can trigger autoimmune diseases like psoriasis.
What does all of this have to do with senior care? Well, while we know that certain genetic factors can make senior care more necessary for some individuals than others, when it comes to an individual, we can throw all of this research out the window. Senior care can be predicted for large populations, but not with a high degree of accuracy for individuals. And these individuals that we’re talking about are the people that we love. They are moms, dads, and grandparents. When we look at it this way, we then can then ignore the mortuary tables and what genetics might hint at.
Everyone ages slightly differently. Some people need senior care, or some variation of it, by age 65, while others never need any sort of long term care. We know that more than 50 percent of seniors will receive long term care at some point during their lives, but that doesn’t show what will happen in a specific instance.
Another thing that we do know is that it is always good to be prepared. Even if your mom or dad never needs in-home care, knowing what help is needed and where it can be found is a good preventative action. If you have questions, feel free to get in touch with us so that we can answer your questions and put your mind at ease before any sort of care becomes necessary.
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