Issues that Impact Senior Men

There are more senior women than there are senior men, but that doesn’t mean that the issues that impact their lives are any less important. As people in general live to be longer these days, there are more and more men living longer and the gap between male and female longevity is slowly closing. Here are some issues that impact senior men today.

1. Men don’t live as long as women do. On average, women live five years longer than men. There are several possible reasons for this including the fact that men tend to engage in riskier behavior, have a propensity toward cardiovascular disease, and a new finding that men’s immune systems may not be as effective as a woman’s.
2. Senior men tend to be happier than senior women. New research shows that senior men tend to be happier than their female counterparts.
   
3. What is the age of “old?” For men, it’s much higher than for women. Consider the fact that society might view a 65 year old woman as being old, while a 65 year old man they might not. This is likely due to a more rapid decline of attractiveness for women than men as they age.
4. Men are more tolerant of aging. Women are more apprehensive about aging for many reasons, and men still have their anxieties which include having to depend on other people, their own physical weakness, developing dementia, impotence, and a loss of purpose that often comes with retirement.
5. Only 15% of seniors in senior living environments are men. While the percentage is not terribly significant, it can make the transition into a senior living environment difficult for men, due to overwhelming female influences. This makes it important for the men in a community to form groups to play cards, watch sports, play billiards, etc.
6. More male caregivers now than ever before. Nearly one out of two caregivers is male and they are often thrown into the role due to an ill wife, making them feel unprepared.

Always Best Care is a home health care company in Birmingham Alabama and other locations throughout the United States and Canada. If you are a senior interested in learning about senior care in Birmingham Alabama, you are invited to call the Always Best Care Birmingham location at 205-874-9730 today to set up a free care consultation.