What is Elderly Fatigue?
Fatigue is a term that describes a diminishing in a person’s cognitive capabilities, such as memory, judgement, orientation, language and thought. Fatigue can affect everyday functions, feelings, behavior and interpersonal relations. Fatigue is not a specific disease but a result of a number of diseases or other factors that affect the brain. Fatigue is a common phenomenon within the elderly, but not an integral part of getting old.
What are the factors for Fatigue?
The main factors for Fatigue are diseases related to dementia, like Alzheimer’s. Dementia is a condition in which there is a steady and advancing diminishment of cognitive capabilities, that is not caused by regular maturing or other mental disorders. The dementia impairs everyday activities and the quality of life of the patient and their caretaker’s. The dementia is not curable but there are treatments that can slow its advancement or relieve its symptoms.
Other reasons that can cause Fatigue are:
Head injuries or brain injuries that were caused from an accident, stroke, falling, trauma or operations. Usage of substances such as alcohol, drugs, medicine or diet supplementary that can hurt the brain or affect the brain’s chemistry.
Physical or mental diseases that can affect the brain, like depression, anxiety, Hypothyroidism, lack of vitamin B12, infections, cancer, inflammations or lack of oxygen.
Environmental or social factors that can affect the brain, like lack of motivation, interest, participating or teaching, being near noise, pollution or poisonous materials or lack of support, understanding or relations.
What are the symptoms of Fatigue?
The symptoms of Fatigue can be different from a person to person and change according to the factors. Generally, the symptoms can be cognitive, functional or emotional. Here are a few examples:
Cognitive symptoms: memory loss, difficulty in learning, understanding, usage of language, thinking, judging or planning, a difficulty in place or time orientation, difficulty in identifying persons or objects, conception or imagination disorders, repeating shock or disruptions with attention span.
Behavioral symptoms: difficulty in performing everyday activities such as dressing, undressing, eating, drinking, using the bathroom, showering, cleaning, buying, driving, taking care of oneself or one’s home, adapting to changes, solving problems, following orders, keeping order or cleaning, handling money or accounts, keeping up with medications or treatments, or participating in communal activities.
Emotional symptoms: lack of appreciation, confidence, happiness or meaning, sadness, anxiety, fear, aggression, suspicion, sleeping interruptions, eating or weight irregularity, lack of lust, wanting or enjoyment, disengagement from reality, searching or inappropriate behavior.
How to diagnose Fatigue?
There is not one single test that can diagnose Fatigue, but a process that combines a few stages. The stages may include:
A personal interview with the person and a caretaker or a family member that knows him well, to collect data of medical history, current functioning, latest changes, symptoms, possible factors, the needs, the goals and difficulties of the person.
Cognitive tests that diagnose the different capabilities of the brain, such as memory, language, thinking, judgment, orientation and more. The tests can be simple or complex and can be based on questions, exercises, drawings, games or computers.
Physical tests that test the general state of the person, such as taking pulse, pressure, temperature, eyesight, hearing, diet, weight, medicine, vaccinations, pains and more.
The tests can include also blood, urine, saliva or imaging.
Imaging tests that show the formation or activity of the brain, such as MRI, CT. The tests can reveal injuries, tumors, bleeding etc.
Consulting with different experts can aid to the diagnosis such as a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist, geriatric specialists, occupational therapist etc.
What are Fatigue Departments?
Fatigue departments are treatment units that are intended for the elderly who suffer from Fatigue or requires assessment, treatment, healing, direction or protection. The departments can be a part of a hospital, a geriatric center or a different institution, and offer various services, such as:
A multi-field staff comprised of experts in the fields of neurology, psychiatry, psychology, geriatrics, social, functional treatment, communication treatment, diet, nursing and more.
Personal treatment plans that are designed according to the needs, aims, capabilities, preferences and values of the person and their family, and updated according to their advancement and changes in their condition.
Medical treatments that can include medicine, supporting treatments, prevention treatments, emergency treatments, an adjusted environment that provides the adequate conditions to treat people that suffer from Fatigue.
