Gastric Bypass surgery as an option for Seniors

“A study last year in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society estimated that obesity in those age 60 and older will increase from 32 percent in 2000 to 37 percent in 2010. Men ages 65 to 74 and women 55 to 64 are the age groups with the highest prevalence of being overweight and obese.

Many private insurance companies cover bariatric surgery, finding it cheaper than long-term treatment of obesity-related health problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Cost of the surgery starts at about $20,000.”

When I read this I thought being older is hard enough as is but having to go thru such an intrusive surgery just to lose weight is crazy. But the more I thought about it I came to the conclusion that weight loss surgery for some senior citizens makes sense. The main factor I think that it would help out is mobility. My great-aunt at 84 years old though she only weighed 130 lbs had a hard time getting around, and that was just because she was older. If she weighed say 330lbs then getting around would have been harder not to mention her diabetes, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, glaucoma may have been harder to manage.

These issues were a problem because of her age, but the combination of the extra pounds and her age would have made things a bit worse, so for that reason and that reason alone I think that gastric bypass would be a good thing for someone older. A person in there sixties has a different set of concerns than someone younger so having the surgery and being able to move about on there own, run with the grandkids, drive themselves back and forth is worth the risk of the surgery. The risk factor is slighty higher for a plus size senior than someone younger, but I think the overall benefits are better.

Being able to actually do the exercises that there doctor recommend, regaining independence, actually feeling good, because though there are the inherent aches and pains that come with being sixty, seventy and up there won’t be any added weight to slow them down.