How to Care for Constipation in Elderly People?

As individuals age and enter their senior years, various bodily functions gradually decline, especially gastrointestinal digestion. Many elderly individuals begin to experience constipation, which can be caused by a variety of factors, but is typically attributed to weakened gastrointestinal motility. Constipation poses significant risks to the elderly and should be taken seriously. Prompt implementation of nursing measures is necessary to mitigate the harmful effects of constipation on their overall health.

• Actively treat chronic illnesses and maintain a cheerful and relaxed mindset, avoiding anger, impatience, and irritation.
• Maintain a balanced diet, combining whole grains with refined grains, and consume vegetables and fruits rich in fiber. Additionally, eating sweet potatoes can help improve gastrointestinal function.
• Quit unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking.
• Avoid excessive consumption of spicy and stimulating foods, as well as frequent coffee and strong tea, especially for those with a history of constipation.
• Develop a habit of going to the bathroom to defecate in the morning and before bedtime.
• Drink a glass of cool water after waking up in the morning, followed by a ten-minute rest. Drinking water on an empty stomach is less likely to be absorbed, thus stimulating intestinal motility and aiding in bowel movements.
• Increase physical activities such as walking, swimming, playing ping-pong, practicing Taijiquan, and avoid prolonged sitting or lying down.

• Anorectal Diseases: Constipation can lead to difficulty in defecation, dry and hard stool, which can directly cause or exacerbate anorectal conditions such as proctitis, anal fissures, and hemorrhoids.
• Gastrointestinal Dysfunction: Constipation causes fecal retention, leading to the production of harmful substances. Absorption of these harmful substances can disrupt gastrointestinal neural function, resulting in symptoms such as anorexia, abdominal bloating, belching, nausea, bitter taste, and increased anal gas.
• Intestinal Ulcers: Hard fecal matter can compress the intestinal lumen, narrowing it and compressing surrounding structures, which can obstruct colonic expansion and lead to ischemia in the rectum or colon, resulting in intestinal ulcers. In severe cases, this can lead to intestinal perforation.
• Malignancies: Long-term constipation can allow carcinogenic substances to remain in the intestine for extended periods, potentially increasing the risk of malignancies such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and other malignancies.
• Inducing Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases: Constipation can pose life-threatening risks to the elderly. Straining during defecation, especially in older adults, can increase abdominal pressure and cause an increase in blood pressure and intracranial pressure, leading to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events such as angina, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, cerebral hemorrhage, and sudden death.
• Impaired Brain Function: Prolonged retention of feces in the intestine allows bacteria to produce harmful substances such as methane, phenol, ammonia, and other toxic gases. These toxins can diffuse into the central nervous system, causing adverse stimulation and damage to brain function, manifesting as decreased memory, attention deficits, and cognitive slowness. Long-term constipation may also lead to depression, anxiety, and social withdrawal.