The cost of longevity

So many people yearn for longevity and a long life.

I want to tell you what I've seen and heard and witnessed during my years as a doctor.

Yes, there are some living long productive happy lives, full of purpose and good health.

I want to talk about the flip side of this. There are many who are not living with good health and are suffering.

There's a cost to longevity.

?

There is the emotional cost to the individual, their families, and their friends. Many people suffer from depression, anxiety or breakdown.

The caregivers suffer from mixed emotions, but the negative ones can reign supreme. This includes resentment, guilt, anger, or hatred towards the one they're looking after.

The elderly person themselves suffer from depression and sorrow: it is difficult to find hope when they look towards their future.

Many say that they've had enough and it's time for them to leave and now be buried. Others say that they've had enough and want to die.

I really don't know how some people manage hearing their relatives saying this over and over again to them.

Health professionals can give the tablets, but it doesn't take away the emotional pain that everyone suffers from.

The emotional burden is very high as they watch their loved one fading away and no longer the person they used to know.

?

The physical cost of longevity can be overwhelming.

The elderly person suffers from failing health as the human body fades away.

Muscle wasting, ageing heart, ageing bones all take the toll.

We forget about the ageing brain which slows over the years.

Sadly, many are inflicted with dementia and there is no treatment for it.

Slowly the elderly person lose their independence and become frail and immobile.

In time they are no longer able to feed themselves, dress themselves or even get to the toilet.

They end up with bowel and bladder troubles and need adult nappies.

The swallowing can be affected in many, and sadly the texture of their food and drinks needs to be altered for health reasons.

I dread the time when I may have to have a thickened cup of tea prevent me from aspirating my drinks.

Vision and hearing fade away and half and have their associated problems.

Losing their mobility means that they spent more time sitting in a chair or lying in bed.

Due to ageing of the bones and ligaments, pain creeps in and can be overwhelming. There are medication to alleviate the symptoms but they have side effects. Sometimes the side effects can be worse than the condition themselves.

The physical cost of longevity means hospital admissions that can be stressful for everyone around them.

There is a physical cost to the caregivers. This means helping the frail person with personal care, or lifting the person off the floor, travelling to and from the persons house.

?

The financial cost of longevity can be frightful.

There is a cost of care in their own homes, paying for carers to come daily three or four times a day.

The cost of care homes or nursing homes it's daunting.

The caregiver may have to reduce their hours of work or even give up their job in order to look after the parent.

Some people end up moving house; or there is a cost of a adapting the house for disabled use.

There's also cost of equipment said the person can remain in their own house.

For the caregiver there is a loss of job opportunities which may mean a loss of income.

I haven't even mentioned the cost of living crisis affecting everybody.

?

Some people are lucky that there are no prices to be paid for longevity.

Sadly for many there's a price to be paid for longevity.

The cost of a longevity affects the elderly person, their family, and friends.

The emotional cost is often hidden and not talked about enough.

We see the physical cost of longevity; the person fading away and suffering in pain and other distressing symptoms.

Medicines are available to help with the symptoms but there can be a price can be horrible side effects.

There is a financial cost to longevity which affects the elderly person and their caregivers.

We underestimate the effects that longevity has on every individual.

We need to open up and talk about these issues with compassion and understanding.

Ignoring the issues does not make them go away and only make matters worse. I would like us to be more human and understanding and empathetic towards each other