Nobody can escape old age. Our body grows until we are 25 years old. After that, slowly and gradually, we start to age, and each part of our body begins to degenerate.

How can we prepare ourselves for such a decline, and what are the signs that tell us we are ageing?

Recently, Dr Somkanueng Tanworrakul of Nakornthon Hospital offered some advice on the issues during a one-day health trip the hospital organised for its older patients.

According to Dr Somkanueng, ageing people experience degeneration of the body.

Hair

Your hair and hair pores become thinner. Men can experience baldness from the forehead to the crown.

This could be a result of prolonged exposure to sunlight or chemicals. Stress can also cause hair loss.

To take good care of your hair, do not wash it before going to bed as sleeping on damp hair can trigger scalp fungus.

Eyes

When you get older, your vision will be impaired as the eye lens hardens.

You should avoid exposing your eyes to air-conditioning or places with low humidity.

Ears

Older people usually experience impaired hearing. Hearing problems among Thai people are significantly high, due to society ignoring the noise pollution code.

“If you talk to older people, remember to speak in a low tone as it is easier to be heard. however, when the ears degenerate to a certain stage, even low pitched sounds will become hard to catch, and doctors will recommend the use of hearing aids,” said the doctor.

People with impaired hearing may also have poor balance, which could result in a fall or dizziness. Those symptoms, however, can be improved by frequently changing body postures, from sitting to standing.

Inadequate water intake

Water is best to prevent dehydration. Some older people do not drink enough water, which can result in a dry tongue. Also, try to avoid drinking tea or coffee as it is a diuretic.

Having no facial expression

Some ageing people may have still and expressionless faces because their muscles don’t function properly. as a result, we hardly see them smile even though they are in a cheerful mood.

Dr Somkanueng Tanworrakul of Nakornthon Hospital.

Mouth and throat

Ageing people may experience tooth and gum problems as well as bad breath because the saliva can’t work correctly in digesting food.

“If you don’t keep it under control, your blood sugar may increase unnecessarily because the organisms that stay in your teeth may result in poor digestion,” he said.

Sugary drinks also result in the faster decay of teeth.

Snoring is another problem which should not be overlooked as it can be related to other diseases.

Snoring happens when the tongue has blocked the respiratory tube. it causes the person to wake up in the morning without feeling fresh. If that happens for a long time, it can result in high blood pressure.

Thyroid gland

Ageing people can suffer from hypothyroid as the thyroid gland slowly fails to fully function. This can result in other symptoms such as constipation, loss of patience and feeling easily cold or tired. Some may experience hydropericardium, which results in a hoarse voice and slow speech.

“This problem can be solved through lung exercise, by uttering a long sound, then breathing in and breathing out while slowly letting air out of your lungs,” he said.

People who have a chronic cough for more than three months should see a doctor.

Lungs

Some elderly people may suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which can be prevented by vaccination.

Heart problems

As people age, the heart muscles become thicker and harden, so elderly people will be at risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.

Digestive system

Some ageing persons can experience inflammation of the gall bladder as a result of prolonged doses of certain drugs such as prokinetic drugs.

Some have problems with their large intestine as the organ has been stretched, resulting in poorer digestion. Some may have blood in their stool.

Dr Sirem-orn Thongsima, an anaesthetist at Nakornthon Hospital.

Skin

Older people mostly experience hormonal changes which result in the change of skin cells and structure. The pores fail to retain moisture, resulting in unhealthy, dry cells.

Dr Sirem-orn Thongsima, an anaesthetist at Nakornthon Hospital, offers simple tips to look after you skin.

- Avoid bathing in hot water, as it will destroy the oil under the skin. Water at room temperature is recommended.

- Soap also washes away the oil under your skin. Especially in cold weather, soap will reduce your skin moisture. therefore, when it is cold, use soap only in the area of the body glands that produce odour, such as your armpits, as well as arm and leg joints. for those who have skin irritations, soap should be totally avoided.

- Apply moisturiser to the skin. Plant-based oil such as olive oil is recommended as it is less allergic to humans than animal-based oil like lanolin.

- Petroleum jelly is also good and safe for sensitive skin, as it contains neither preservatives nor fragrance. it is especially recommended for those with dry hands and cracked lips.

Synthetic moisturiser is also helpful. for example, dimethicone can absorb moisture into the skin, while humactant can absorb water into the skin.

Stress

Dr Somkanueng said apart from physical problems, a number of patients also unknowingly suffer from stress.

“Many ageing people present with physical symptoms such as dizziness or digestive problems, but after consultation, we discover their problems are caused by stress that sometimes even they do not realise,” said the doctor.

“Some patients are under stress just because they have grandchildren to take care of, and are worried they can’t do it. Some are unhappy because they feel they are a burden on their children,” he said.

Sex is also a factor of stress, as some ageing people still have a strong libido which seems to contradict the social norms as we expect the elderly to spend the rest of their lives in serenity, meditating or going to temples.

Further advice for the aged

1. Don’t be reckless with your life.

Don’t buy over-the-counter drugs instead of going to see the doctor. that puts you at high risk.

2. Keep yourself updated about diseases.

As time passes, the indication and cautions for each disease change. for example, in the past diabetics only focused on blood sugar control, but now patients usually have their eyes inspected as they are likely to have blurred vision when their blood sugar level rises or falls.

It is recommended that people aged 35 years old should have their blood sugar tested at least once a year.

3. be watchful for symptoms that we never assume as sickness.

For example, those suffering from blurred vision, insomnia or frequent urination may consider these afflictions as common. however, these could be signs of certain diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

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this is not for my own child but for a close family members child who is now 2yr 3months, if he had autism, what would the symptoms be?

There are three distinctive behaviors that characterize autism. Autistic children have difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests. These behaviors can range in impact from mild to disabling.

I know it must be hard for your friends waiting for the diagnosis, but autism is a complex disorder. A comprehensive evaluation requires a multidisciplinary team including a psychologist, neurologist, psychiatrist, speech therapist, and other professionals who diagnose children with ASDs. the team members will conduct a thorough neurological assessment and in-depth cognitive and language testing. Because hearing problems can cause behaviors that could be mistaken for autism, children with delayed speech development should also have their hearing tested. After a thorough evaluation, the team usually meets with parents to explain the results of the evaluation and present the diagnosis.

Possible Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders include

Children and adults with an autism spectrum disorder might:
•Not play "pretend" games (pretend to "feed" a doll)
•Not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over)
•Not look at objects when another person points at them
•Have trouble relating to others or not have an interest in other people at all
•Avoid eye contact and want to be alone
•Have trouble understanding other people's feelings or talking about their own feelings
•Prefer not to be held or cuddled or might cuddle only when they want to
•Appear to be unaware when other people talk to them but respond to other sounds
•Be very interested in people, but not know how to talk to, play with, or relate to them
•Repeat or echo words or phrases said to them, or repeat words or phrases in place of normal language (echolalia)
•Have trouble expressing their needs using typical words or motions
•Repeat actions over and over again
•Have trouble adapting to changes in routine
•Have unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel, or sound
•Lose skills they once had (for instance, stop saying words they were once using)
•Talk to your child’s doctor or nurse if your child loses skills at any age.

Examples of Specific Language Issues
•repeats words/phrases of others (Echolalia)
•uses own language (jargoning)
•repeats a word or phrase
•reverses pronouns I/me/my and you/your
•refers to self by name
•does not respond to conversational initiation
•gives unrelated answers to questions
•makes comments unrelated to conversation topic
•does not point
•does not respond to pointing
•uses few or no gestures
•talks in monotone or robot-like
•does not respond to own name
•no pretend play; doesn’t understand pretend play
•does not understand jokes, sarcasm, idioms, teasing, or similes

Examples of Specific ASD Repetitive Behaviors and Unusual Interests
•lines up toys
•plays with toys in same manner every time
•is very organized
•is rigid about routines or object placements
•upset by changes
•eat few foods or only certain textures
•eats inedible things (pica)
•smells food
•insensitive to pain
•unaware of danger (e.g., hot things)
•tantrums for no apparent reason
•has obsessive interests
•hand flapping/finger flicking/toe walking
•self-stimulation
•likes spinning objects
•likes to spin him/herself
•likes parts of objects (e.g., wheels)
•does not use toys appropriately (lines up cars by color rather that zooming them)
•special areas of talent or expertise
•perseveration
•walks over things (e.g., toys) unaware

Hear are some "red flags" for autism in early childhood

Communication
• no babbling by 11 months of age
• no simple gestures by 12 months (e.g., waving bye-bye)
• no single words by 16 months
• no 2-word phrases by 24 months (noun + verb – e.g., “baby sleeping”)
• no response when name is called, causing concern about hearing
• Loss of any language or social skills at any age

Behaviour
• Odd or repetitive ways of moving fingers or hands
• Oversensitive to certain textures, sounds or lights
• Lack of interest in toys, or plays with them in an unusual way (e.g., lining up, spinning, opening/closing parts rather than using the toy as a whole)
• Compulsions or rituals (has to perform activities in a special way or certain sequence; is prone to tantrums if rituals are interrupted)
• Preoccupations with unusual interests, such as light switches, doors, fans, wheels
• Unusual fears

Social
• Rarely makes eye contact when interacting with people
• Does not play peek-a-boo
• Doesn’t point to show things he/she is interested in
• Rarely smiles socially
• more interested in looking at objects than at people’s faces
• Prefers to play alone
• Doesn’t make attempts to get parent’s attention; doesn't follow/look when someone is pointing at something
• Seems to be “in his/her own world”
• Doesn’t respond to parent’s attempts to play, even if relaxed
• Avoids or ignores other children when they approach

I also have issues with my son's Autism. I posted my question on wish123 and got an answer from an expert who solved my problem. Worth a try.

You could notice that he doesn't talk until an older age than most little kids.

What makes you think he is autistic?

the only one i know of is walking on their tip toes alot…