While it seems that with age, people commonly lose things like vision and balance. As a good thing to lose with age comes a decrease in headaches.
According to an article on WebMD, “The prevalence of headaches at different ages in women and men, respectively, is as follows: 21 to 34 years, 92% and 74%; 55 to 74 years, 66% and 53%; and after age 75, 55% and 22%.” This can be good news for caregivers and seniors alike.
Too, the incident of migraines decreased. However, if you were prone most of your life to tension headaches, there may not be much of a change there. Tension headaches tend to follow stressful events. They start in the shoulders and neck where the muscles get tight and move upward to feel like pressure against the sides of the head.
Another type of headache that affects pretty much anyone at any age is the sinus headache. These have to do with things like allergies or colds where the sinus cavities are inflamed. There may be pressure in the sinus areas around the face such as the temples and sides of the nose, as well as plugged ears and a runny nose. These types of headaches can be pretty painful.
An interesting consideration regarding sinus headaches has to do with the fact that as people age, their noses continue to grow and eventually, the tips may start to sag. This could possibly affect the flow of air in the nose and contribute to continual drainage issues. With these, as well as any headache where the senior is considering taking medication, elders and caregivers should be sure to check with a physician about a safe method of relief.
Some foods can cause headaches. There are types of meats, such as hot dogs and salami, which use nitrites as a preservative. This can potentially cause blood vessels in the brain to swell and cause pounding type headaches.
And cold things like ice cream and frozen drinks can cause headaches. They are set off as the cold touches the roof of the mouth, sparking nerves to fire and blood vessels to swell, thus creating a tense headache. Sometimes drinking room temperature or warm drinks can stop these headaches in mid-motion.
Headaches can also be related to other things like side effects of over the counter medications or because of head injuries. Medication headaches tend to occur from the excessive use of pain medicines. These headaches usually are the worse in the morning hours.
Often times, a headache from head trauma is similar to tension headaches with regard to pressure. Depending on the severity of the injury, these headaches could eventually go away.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring caregiver services in Clark, NJ, call the caring staff at Helping Hands Home Care today at 908-418-4299. Providing Home Care Services in all of Northern and Central NJ, including Clark, Westfield, Cranford, Scotch Plains, Rahway, Linden, Summit, Edison, Elizabeth, Mountainside and the surrounding areas.
Resources:
http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/geriatric-headaches#1
http://www.entnet.org/content/sinusitis-special-considerations-aging-patients
After graduating from Seton Hall University with a BS in finance Helping Hands Homecare’s Owner / President, Robert D’Arienzo, went to work on Wall St. for six years. However, after Robert’s grandmother became ill with stomach cancer Robert and his family needed to find assistance in the home for her. After many trials and tribulations Robert could see that there was a great need for quality home care services here in NJ and loved the idea of being able to assist other families who were going through what his family went through with his beloved grandmother.
Thus, Robert had found his passion. After almost a year of preparation Robert opened Helping Hands Homecare in 2003. Robert wanted Helping Hands Homecare to focus on providing the highest quality of caregivers, exceptional customer service, and providing a service that familys could depend on in their time of need. Since then Helping Hands has assisted hundreds of individuals with the simplest of needs to more complex cases while preserving those standards set out many years ago.
Robert is a Google Verified Author
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