LGBT Seniors May Benefit Socially and Physiologically From Companion Care
According to statistics, 77% percent of elderly gay people are living alone, in contrast to only 33% of the non-gay population.
Also, 90% of gay seniors don't have the benefit of children to assist them in their late stage of life, primarily because LGBTQ adoption was almost non-existent until the late 1970s.
At this late stage in life, many simply do not know where to turn when they start requiring assistance.
Due to this growing rate of solidarity in the senior ages, a correlation can be seen with the rise of loneliness and depression amongst this age group.
Loneliness can lead people to having depressive symptoms which in turn can lead to the onset and progression of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for gay men alone.
Depression is commonly comorbid with coronary heart disease (CHD) and about 20% of patients with newly diagnosed CHD have also been diagnosed as having major depression.
Depression is parallelled with several serious cardiac risk factors such as smoking and lack of exercise that tends to increase with age.
At the same time, declining physical activity predicts more depression symptoms.
Signs and symptoms of heart disease are similar between men and women; some women also experience back pain.
The shared symptoms include paleness, anxiety, sweating, shortness of breath, indigestion, pressure in the center of chest that spreads to neck, jaw and shoulder, unusual pain spreading down on or both arms, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.
These conditions are examples of factors that contribute to life becoming more difficult to live independently when they begin to severely impair one's typical abilities to care for themselves.
The opening of LGBT senior centers in all boroughs of New York City could mean momentous changes for our seniors in these areas who can benefit from assistance and referrals for care needed at home as well as a connection to a large community they may otherwise not have.
There are several explanations for the correlation between depression and cardiac disease.
One might be that antidepressant cardio-toxicity coupled with a sedentary lifestyle might predict to the onset of heart disease although further research shows that this cardio-toxicity most likely accounts for very little.
When an older person suddenly lives alone at home, it might become more difficult to carry on an active lifestyle.
Other explanations include the dysfunctional regulation of the neuroendocrine system, autonomic system, and serotonergic system that infer that depression is influential of the onset and progression of CHD and the non-adherence to cardiac prevention further exacerbates the disease.
CHD patients with depression are less likely to abide to cardiac medication regimens and rehabilitation programs than CDH patients without depression.
One reason for this again could be the lack of support.
Agencies that offer senior companion care have been a saving grace to those in need of the right services to help live their golden years with ease.
Companion care can help keep social interaction stable and encourage seniors to continue an active lifestyle at home and in their community.
With the opening of LGBT Senior Centers in all boroughs of NYC being covered in the news, and awareness on the special issues the elderly gay community face surfaces, seniors can benefit socially and physiologically from the companionship of a caregiver or fellow community member.
Also, 90% of gay seniors don't have the benefit of children to assist them in their late stage of life, primarily because LGBTQ adoption was almost non-existent until the late 1970s.
At this late stage in life, many simply do not know where to turn when they start requiring assistance.
Due to this growing rate of solidarity in the senior ages, a correlation can be seen with the rise of loneliness and depression amongst this age group.
Loneliness can lead people to having depressive symptoms which in turn can lead to the onset and progression of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for gay men alone.
Depression is commonly comorbid with coronary heart disease (CHD) and about 20% of patients with newly diagnosed CHD have also been diagnosed as having major depression.
Depression is parallelled with several serious cardiac risk factors such as smoking and lack of exercise that tends to increase with age.
At the same time, declining physical activity predicts more depression symptoms.
Signs and symptoms of heart disease are similar between men and women; some women also experience back pain.
The shared symptoms include paleness, anxiety, sweating, shortness of breath, indigestion, pressure in the center of chest that spreads to neck, jaw and shoulder, unusual pain spreading down on or both arms, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.
These conditions are examples of factors that contribute to life becoming more difficult to live independently when they begin to severely impair one's typical abilities to care for themselves.
The opening of LGBT senior centers in all boroughs of New York City could mean momentous changes for our seniors in these areas who can benefit from assistance and referrals for care needed at home as well as a connection to a large community they may otherwise not have.
There are several explanations for the correlation between depression and cardiac disease.
One might be that antidepressant cardio-toxicity coupled with a sedentary lifestyle might predict to the onset of heart disease although further research shows that this cardio-toxicity most likely accounts for very little.
When an older person suddenly lives alone at home, it might become more difficult to carry on an active lifestyle.
Other explanations include the dysfunctional regulation of the neuroendocrine system, autonomic system, and serotonergic system that infer that depression is influential of the onset and progression of CHD and the non-adherence to cardiac prevention further exacerbates the disease.
CHD patients with depression are less likely to abide to cardiac medication regimens and rehabilitation programs than CDH patients without depression.
One reason for this again could be the lack of support.
Agencies that offer senior companion care have been a saving grace to those in need of the right services to help live their golden years with ease.
Companion care can help keep social interaction stable and encourage seniors to continue an active lifestyle at home and in their community.
With the opening of LGBT Senior Centers in all boroughs of NYC being covered in the news, and awareness on the special issues the elderly gay community face surfaces, seniors can benefit socially and physiologically from the companionship of a caregiver or fellow community member.
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