Does Your Elderly Parent Have an Eating Disorder?

Does Your Elderly Parent Have an Eating Disorder?

Anorexia sign with a measuring tape tied in an appleEating disorders have become rampant in the Digital Age, affecting both men and women, ages ranging from the teenage years to early adulthood. These disorders appear less evident, however, in the middle-aged and the elderly. According to statistics back in 2012, 13 percent of American women over the age of 50 manifested eating disorder symptoms within the past five years of their lives.

Causes of Disorder in the Elderly

Treatment for eating disorders can no doubt help middle-aged or elderly individuals to conquer their eating disorders. Their condition likely stems from career or family changes during middle age. In later ages, on the other hand, retirement, family or friend deaths, or need for a caretaker can lead to eating disorders because the individual desires to control something, which can be the body.

Difficult to Detect Disorders

Eating disorders can be harder to detect in older people sadly due to the misconception that anorexia and other conditions of the sort affect only young people. These disorders can affect people of any age group. At the same time, the elderly experience the aging process. The symptoms of aging can be mistaken for signs of eating disorders and vice versa.

Dig Deeper

With this, you may have concerns regarding your parent or parents. Because of the symptoms that aging and eating disorders share, you can keep yourself from jumping to conclusions before observing or researching further. You can first take a look at the medical condition of your parent which may explain any weight loss, limited eating habits, or being overweight.

Observe Eating Habits

You can observe your parent or parents during mealtimes to gain a better understanding of their condition. Whatever barriers you can find, along with the medical research you made, you can bring all that you know to an eating disorder expert. When a disorder is confirmed, you can then seek treatment from professionals like EDCare to defeat the problem quickly.

Approach your parent with care and gentleness, and he or she can recover from an eating disorder with your help.

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