Aging is the major factor that brings many difficulties to one’s physical health, and having reduced physical health can affect your mental health. Constipation is one of the major problems that we see in more than 50% of senior citizens. Some of the common causes of constipation are side effects due to medications, insufficient water intake, insufficient dietary fiber intake, irritable bowel syndrome, very less physical activity, etc. Constipation develops a mixed feeling in a person, which can even lead them to depression.

Seniors who are aged above 64 years of age are the ones who are most affected by constipation.     Constipation causes severe abdominal pain and can even cause hemorrhoids which can cause bleeding and be very painful. Going through these circumstances can sound easy but enduring this pain by a senior with reduced immunity and stamina is not a small talk. They may find the pain in their abdominal region irritating and building up of this irritation may lead them to anxiety and depression.

The pain can cause stress in seniors which can lead them to delirium, a state of confusion. These confusions contribute more to stress build-up which can affect the senior’s neurological condition and can cause mental disorders. This leads to irritability, agitation, or even aggression in seniors who already suffer from Alzheimer’s or any other dementia. 

Most seniors find it embarrassing to talk about their bowel movements which contribute to more stress build-up in elders. This can make them feel withdrawn and quiet. Their frequent visit to the washroom and the irritation they feel in there can make them feel depressed and make them vulnerable to aggression, where they start to get angry over very small issues. They start to have less solid food, which can alter their eating cycle which can lead to ulcers and other stomach-related diseases. They start to feel unhappy about everything around them, the constant irritation makes them feel isolated from the whole world. 

Seniors are people who have spent the majority of their lifespan raising their younger generation. When the situation comes, where they have to talk about their bowel movements to people who are younger than them, they may start to feel insecure and estranged. 

Symptoms of Constipation

• Sense of incomplete evacuation.

• Fewer than 3 bowel movements a week.

• Straining

• Acting out and more irritable than usual.

• Severe abdominal pain.

Coming across those kinds of mixed feelings can cause anyone to become mentally unstable and can destroy a person from inside. So it is necessary to handle your elder with care when you find them suffering from the above symptoms. It is essential to understand them and do all the needful to make them feel comfortable.