The next time you read the words: ‘health is the greatest blessing,’ pause before you mock the cliché. When a young and healthy person is derogatory toward such statements, it reeks of privilege. Health and fitness are nature’s gifts, but this gift doesn’t come without the responsibility to value it while it lasts.

It’s convenient to stereotype old people as cranky, frustrated and weak when you don’t know the struggle they live through every day. While aching joints and weak muscles are problems enough, their drooping shoulders are further weighed down under the burden of chronic illnesses.

If you’re wondering why terminal or chronic illnesses strike during our later years, it’s because your immunity weakens with age, making you more susceptible to them. Chronic illnesses not only take a toll on your overall health and wellbeing, but also severely affect your mood. Imagine living with searing back pain throughout the night and day and still keep a smile on your face. It’s hard to stay happy in the worst of times. Here are a few things that make you sick of being sick!

Monotony

Experiencing the same kind of pain monotonously every day is a different degree of painful. When you talk about chronic pain, we can’t emphasize the word chronic enough, because we literally mean all day, every day. Under such circumstances, random bouts of frustration over the ceaseless pain are reasonable.

Confusing Diagnoses

When you’re in pain, there’s nothing like the hope of a cure to make you smile on the bluest of days. Even though a ‘cure’ is sometimes a fantasy for people with chronic pain, the struggle of going from doctor to doctor is the only hope you have.

The medical industry has made huge strides in the last few decades, but patients of chronic conditions still complain about confusing diagnoses. You may be suffering from an illness that has been ruled out on several grounds by multiple modalities before. Therefore, dealing with the confusion that comes with conflicting diagnoses is an added stressor that affects your mood.

Rigid Schedules

Being on pain medication and other prescription drugs can put you on a pretty stringent schedule. This will most likely rule out socialization, family time, and professional growth.

If you can’t stay up past your prescribed bedtime because of the effect of tranquilizers, that won’t stop your friends from hanging out and, naturally, you’ll miss out.

If you’re told to cut down on certain foods due to cholesterol problems, you can’t hang out with your buddies at a barbecue party.

The point is, your medical condition will do more than impede routine things; it’ll go the extra mile and influence your social life as well. It’s important to protect our senior loved ones from social isolation because of their illness. The best way to start their emotional rehabilitation is by not criticizing them for being frustrated all the time, because they really can’t help being in pain.

We’re an independent assisted living community in Beverly Hills CA which helps senior loved ones dealing with chronic illnesses enjoy the simpler luxuries of life. With our amenities, we intend to make their life as comfortable (apart from their illness) as possible. Contact us for more details.