Senior citizens accused of being grumpy and less patient with others may be able to blame changes in their brain. Older men and women who struggle to understand others – and show irritation as a result – are thought to be suffering from the same loss of brain function which causes memory problems.
It is no wonder that older people often “lose patience”. They are asked to accept a lot of interruptions in their lives. Adult children, clergy, visitors, and caregivers often follow suit in “losing patience”. Caring for older loved ones also involves a change in routine for caregivers.
People who are in pain, have lost independence, and have lost a lot of control over their lives tend to get angry very easily. This is true regardless of age. Old people have less ability to function in noisy and confusing environments. So too much stimulation can cause stress.
First, our dopamine levels decline as we age, making elderly people susceptible to dopamine-deficient depression. It's also well known that declining estrogen levels during menopause, along with resulting physical changes can cause women to experience irritability, sadness and anxiety.
Reasons Why We Lose Patience
Someone doesn't catch our meaning quickly enough. Someone repeatedly makes the same mistake, despite being corrected each time. The changes we want happen too slowly. Certain projects take too long or seem inefficient.
Oddly enough, being an impatient person means you're also apt to put things off rather than get them done sooner. That's because being a procrastinator and being impatient are both personality traits that are based on a need for immediate outcomes and rewards.
im·pa·tient (ˌ)im-ˈpā-shənt. Synonyms of impatient. : not patient : restless or short of temper especially under irritation, delay, or opposition.
Some of the factors leading to rudeness in old age are: Hormonal changes. Men see a decrease in testosterone beginning around age 40, and women see a decrease in estrogen beginning around age 50, both of which can lead to depression and mood swings.
Traditionally, the “elderly” are considered to be those persons age 65 and older.
Depression, anxiety, grief, and PTSD are all mental health disorders that can have increased anger as a symptom. Your loved one may need professional therapy to learn how to handle his or her emotions. Some seniors need medication to address severe anger.
Ask any adult, and the most likely answer is, yes, life is hard as an adult. Life is hard because they might have the means to have what they want as adults, but they might not have the energy after slogging the whole day to do all or enjoy all the things they want.
In a lot of cases, the old people are losing their autonomy and a sense of control over their lives. This is because the medical problems are taking over a lot of their time. Because they are becoming more fragile overall. To them, behaving in a difficult and stubborn manner is a way of maintaining that autonomy.
One of the most well-known things about getting older is the health issues. Diseases come forward, your body starts to deteriorate, and it's harder to stay physically healthy and active. Many little things begin to happen that you have never considered before.
Cognitive decline can cause aging adults to have sudden outbursts of anger. Symptoms of cognitive decline include memory loss and difficulty understanding basic information. Your loved one might become upset if he or she can't recall a particular word or remember the name of a familiar place.
Focus on abilities.
Older adults who focus on what they can do and find rewarding, rather than any decline in abilities, are happier. According to a study in The Gerontologist, accepting aging and adapting to age-related changes is vital to successful aging and well-being.
After age 30, people tend to lose lean tissue. Your muscles, liver, kidney, and other organs may lose some of their cells. This process of muscle loss is called atrophy. Bones may lose some of their minerals and become less dense (a condition called osteopenia in the early stages and osteoporosis in the later stages).
The United States' older adult population can thus, be divided into three life-stage subgroups: the young-old (approximately 65 to 74 years old), the middle-old (ages 75 to 84 years old), and the old-old (over age 85).
This report focuses on older Australians—generally those aged 65 and over, unless otherwise specified.
Ways to Deal with Anger Issues in Elderly
The first step to deal with anger issues starts with the thoughts. A clear reflection on your thought process as to which thoughts are leading anger can help you prevent most recurrences of anger-induced situations.
Behavioral symptoms like moodiness, apathy, changes in personality, unsocial behaviors and language difficulty can be part of the disease. Behavior and personality often change with dementia.
Pass it on: Being impatient can cause high blood pressure and heart disease.
1. Irritable, testy, touchy, irascible are adjectives meaning easily upset, offended, or angered. Irritable means easily annoyed or bothered, and it implies cross and snappish behavior: an irritable clerk, rude and hostile; Impatient and irritable, he was constantly complaining.
Patients with ADHD tend to lack patience, especially when they're kept waiting. For instance, they may not recognize the need to wait for their turn while having a conversation and may end up frequently interrupting others, which may turn out awkward.