Lyme And The Senior Population.
©
Joint pains, heart problems, dementia/mental confusion such as Alzheimer's disease, incontinence, dizzy spells and more are seldom considered abnormal if the patient is elderly. Few doctors will take the time to contact a family member to get a complete history of the patient if he/she is unable to give it. The information about the patient's lifestyle, work history and hobbies can be crucial for a correct diagnosis.
Seniors, like children, have a lot of play time. Gardening, fishing and travel are favorite pursuits of the retired population. Each offer the chance of being infected with one of the many strains of Lyme disease. And like many others, they could be infected by a tick in the nymph stage, which is too small to be seen by someone with imperfect vision. It's about the size of a period. People with perfect vision usually think it's freckle or speck of dirt if they've been gardening.
Travel opens the door to more possibilities in tick endemic areas. That's not the kind of information made available to tourists. So, while visiting a new area people hike, picnic, take nature walks through high grassy areas or go through grassy areas to fish.
A major problem is the lack of knowledge about Lyme disease among the senior population. Many come from an era when they were shown to remove an embedded tick by holding a lit match to it, pouring gasoline over it and other "folk medicine" techniques. There was little known about Lyme disease then and symptoms were misdiagnosed and treated as other illnesses. Lyme disease is the great imitator...and always has been. Several DNA samples from bodies have shown the presence of Lyme bacteria yet the cause of death was listed as "natural causes." And who would question that when the person was elderly?
It's more important than ever for an elderly person to have an informed medical advocate. More families are separated by miles today than ever before due to careers, globalization and the decline of traditional family structure. Visits and family gatherings are few and far between, giving little chance for family members to notice gradual physical changes in older members. More likely than not, if an older parent shows symptoms of dementia an adult child will find a care facility for them rather than pursue the possibility of Lyme disease as the cause. If you have a family member who has been diagnosed with dementia and is in a nursing home or care facility, they should be tested for Lyme disease with at least two different types of tests. If the treating physician is not cooperative or is prejudiced about Lyme disease, contact the Lyme Disease Foundation to find a Lyme literate doctor in the area. Do not accept a misdiagnosis of a friend or family member merely because they are elderly.
Go To Page: 1 2
