1. Sleeping: You usually require less sleep as you age but you don’t sleep as deep and can feel more tired during the day. Medication, alcohol, caffeine and boredom are some of the reasons for not getting a good nights rest. Keeping busy and active with hobbies and interests are characteristics of a senior who tends to sleep better.

2. Alcohol: Our bodies do not metabolize alcohol as effectively as we get older which can cause higher blood alcohol levels and the alcohol will thus stay in our system longer. Boredom and loneliness are two reasons that seem to pop up in senior alcohol abuse cases.

3. Bowel Movements: The intestines also can slow down, as you get older as does the amount of food a person eats and all this affects bowel movements. Some seniors get very concerned that they were “regular’ their whole life and now have a bowel movement every other day. This is not unusual and if everything is okay then no worries, any major changes should be discussed with your physician. Don’t be surprised if you hear many bowel movement discussions in senior settings.

4. Taste Buds: Taste buds change as you get older and salt (sodium) is a good example. As a person ages they usually don’t “taste” salt as well as they once did and they can have a tendency to “over salt” their food before even tasting it. Too much sodium is not good for anybody and especially for people with high blood pressure. There are many good “salt substitutes” on the market as an alternative. 

5. Height: It is common by age 80 to lose at least 2 inches of height.

Golden Nugget: Senior Sex – We live in a world with “Viagra” commercials saturating our media, does that mean senior sex rates are up? The numbers are up across most studies. There are some roadblocks but medications can help both male erectile and female dryness issues. If concerned consult with a physician and you can hope to have many years of satisfying sex in your future.