Top 5 Reasons Seniors Are Cranky

Aging brings unexpected emotional challenges that often manifest as irritability or anger, but there's more to these reactions than simple crankiness. We explore the hidden causes behind age-related frustration and offer compassionate strategies for both seniors and their loved ones.

• Cognitive changes cause frustration as thinking slows down and decision-making takes longer
• Chronic pain creates constant discomfort that naturally affects mood and temperament
• Loss of independence when needing help with once-simple tasks is profoundly demoralizing
• Medication side effects often go unrecognized as contributors to mood changes
• Accumulated grief from losing friends and family creates an emotional burden
• Being aware of these changes in yourself or others is the first step toward compassion
• Reach out to healthcare providers if you notice significant mood or cognitive changes

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the challenges of aging, please reach out to your doctor, a friend, or a loved one. Don't try to handle everything alone. And remember to be safe and be kind.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome & Weather Talk
• 0:47 Why Older People Seem Angrier
• 2:01 Cognitive Changes & Thinking Slower
• 4:04 Pain & Physical Discomfort
• 5:31 Loss of Independence & Assistive Aids
• 7:00 Medication Side Effects
• 8:47 Loss, Depression & Emotional Weight
• 11:48 Closing Thoughts & Theme Song

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to Bill Monty's Guide for Gettin' Older. Hello, my friends, and welcome, as the lady just sang, to Bill Monty's Guide for Gettin' Older. I am your host. You might have guessed it. Go on, take a guess. Yeah, I'm Bill Monty. I hope you're doing great today. I hope you're having a wonderful day.

Speaker 1: 0:23

It's starting to warm up up north a little bit, maybe not quite as cold as it was, so I'm hoping that you are able to go out and enjoy yourself a little bit more and if you're down here in the south with me, like I am in Florida, it's been beautiful all the way along and we're just happy for it, because soon it's going to be so hot, so hot that if you're older it could actually make you cranky. I know when I was younger the really hot, humid weather didn't make me quite as cranky as it does these days and it got me thinking. Also a question from someone the other day at work, younger person and just talking about things in general, the way the world is right now. She said to me everyone's so angry, but especially the older people. I'm assuming she wasn't trying to insult me and maybe just accepted me as a younger peer, younger, peer. Dream on Bill. But it got me to thinking what are the things that make older people a little bit angrier? Now I am, I try to be even keeled, but I am quick to anger sometimes. Anger sometimes no surprise to people who know me, but more so than I used to be. So I decided to do a little investigation as to what causes sudden aggression in seniors.

Speaker 1: 2:01

Now, the first one. We're not going to dwell on a real long time because we've talked about it in previous episodes, and I will say once again anything you hear and you agree with and you want to take action on. If it comes down to a mental or physical situation, please, please, please, consult your doctor. As you get older, you're going to start thinking slower. I don't know how else to say it. It's how I think of myself. Words don't come as easy. Situations where you maybe normally would have made a quicker decision. You're spending a little more time thinking is this right? Is that right? You have to think about things so much more.

Speaker 1: 2:35

If you're aware of it, this can cause quite a bit of frustration. So take a deep breath. If, like me, you're kind of experiencing some of these things, try not to let it get to you. That much. I'm not saying this is easy. It can be tough, but if you're aware of it there's something you can do about it. It can be tough, but if you're aware of it there's something you can do about it. And if you are the loved one, especially the child, or maybe a friend, a younger friend, of a senior who seems to be feeling this way, give them a break. Okay, we've all lived through a lot, but also realize that some of this could mean an onset of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. That can leave seniors feeling confused and frustrated. So if you're starting to see the signs of forgetfulness and I don't mean just forgetting a name or forgetting a word every now and then, but someone seeming suddenly lost where they shouldn't be, unable to remember how to get places, unable to remember names on a consistent basis Please go see your physician, have them, go and get tested Again. I said we've had conversations about Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in previous episodes, so please go back and listen to those or I will send you to the Alzheimer's disease website and that's the other place you can go for more information.

Speaker 1: 4:04

Another item that can cause frustration or anger with people is pain or discomfort. Hey, let me tell you something. I was in a car accident 20 years ago and for the most part it didn't bother me. But in the last year or so I've had real problems with my back and hip. In a recent visit to the doctor he confirmed it might be. I'm starting to finally feel the effects of that car accident. I can tell you, there isn't a day when I'm not in pain. There's not a day where I can walk like I used to. I need to walk with a cane. These days I don't have the balance that I used to. I don't like being on. I don't take pain pills that are prescribed. I don't want to be drugged, but I do take over-the-counter pain medication on a regular basis. That frustrates me, and being in pain a lot and all the time frustrates me. Keep in mind, especially if you know that someone is in pain a lot, that might be the reason they're feeling frustration. So what can you do to help? Well, offer them maybe a warm or a hot towel, or get them an ice pack that they could put on where it's hurting. Maybe offer a massage, or just some kind and comforting words.

Speaker 1: 5:21

Loss of independence as we get older the one thing we don't want to admit is that we cannot do all of the things we used to do and we need help. That's a tough one. That cane I mentioned before really irritates me, but I need that help. I was at a doctor the other day and he saw I was struggling to get up and he kindly, without making a big deal out of it, gave me a helping hand to stand up from a chair. The thought or realization that you now need assistance to do the things you used to do and I'm talking about some simple things, maybe around the house, like you know changing the guts of a toilet that you used to be able to do by yourself, reaching items on the floor, kneeling down, picking things up, simple things like that the realization that you can't do even the simplest things that you could do just a few years ago really frustrating. I've become quite the purchaser of assistive aids for seniors. You know that little long cloth you can pick things up from the floor and something that helps me put on socks. I hate socks so I don't use that very often Longer shoe horns. You know there are a lot of items that I use now that I never would have used before and I'm probably going to be doing an upcoming episode on some of the aids that I've tried that you might find helpful for you or perhaps a senior in your life.

Speaker 1: 6:59

Medication side effects. You and I both know from watching TV all of these medicines that are advertised constantly and don't get me started on how irritating that is they all have these side effects right, and as you get older, every time you go to a doctor it seems like the one thing they do. Whatever you're going for be it anxiety, let's say, or for high cholesterol or blood pressure or pain they're always prescribing a new medicine for you and they always want you to give them a list of the medications you're taking. And yet they don't seem to take that into effect. They don't seem to take that into account as much for how this new medicine might interact with the ones that you're taking. I know that's been my situation a couple of times and the doctor should have known. I mean hell. If I know from watching the commercials on TV, at least I know from doing that I know a bunch of medicines I will never take Because when the side effect is death I can seriously consider not taking that particular medicine, and it seems like a lot of those on TV, are death. But there are a lot of side effects that can happen with medications, even the simpler ones, and some of them can make you angry or make you feel more anxious. So if you are noticing in yourself, or perhaps in a spouse or someone else, that they seem to be angrier or more anxious than usual and they have recently started a new medication, reach out to your doctor, reach out to a physician and see if that might be the problem.

Speaker 1: 8:47

Loss and depression. As we get older, we lose our friends and we lose our family. Besides the loss of independence, we're losing our world, our environment as we have always known it. When you're older and I'm not necessarily talking 50s and 60s and 70s and 80s Sometimes you'll notice in your 40s you start making less new friends. I don't know why that is, but you have less new friends. You rely more on the people you've known for a long time and as they start passing, you start feeling more and more and it makes you nostalgic for the old days and it can cause depression. Depression causes anger, it can cause you not to get as much sleep, which can lead to anger. These are all signs, all things that happen as you age, for most people.

Speaker 1: 9:46

I'm not going to say this is for everybody. Again, I am not a doctor. I'm just telling you my observations and doing research, like you do by Googling it and looking online. But I can speak from my own personal experience that these are the things that add to the weight of the world on your shoulders as you're older. And one of the things you don't realize when you're younger is that that weight you carry on your shoulders will become harder and harder to bear. You always think that, no matter what happens as you get older, you'll always be the same person you were at 50, or even at 60, or even at 65. And I'm here to tell you, friends, I hope you are, but you probably won't be, and bearing that weight will be harder.

Speaker 1: 10:39

So prepare yourself for it. Be aware of yourself, of your surroundings. Pick up on the little signals that people around you might give you. Do they seem perplexed or annoyed with you? Are they constantly questioning you? What's wrong? What's the matter? Why are you upset?

Speaker 1: 10:59

If so, this might mean you need to see a physician. Maybe you need to talk to a therapist. Maybe you just need to cut yourself a break. We're getting older friends. That doesn't mean we're breaking down, but let's be real about what is happening. Doesn't mean the end is nigh, but it does mean we have to start taking care of ourselves a little bit more and thinking about ourselves a little bit more than we ever have before in our lives. A reminder if you are feeling the anxiety of life, if you are feeling that you need help, please reach out to your doctor, your physician, to a friend, reach out to someone. Do not just sit quietly and take it all on yourself. And, as always, please remember to hit that like and subscribe button, friends, and comment and share.

Speaker 1: 12:02

I thank you so much for joining me for another episode of Bill Monty's Guide for Getting Older. I hope you're taking care of yourself. It's a wild, wild world out there, isn't it? But as long as we're all standing together, as long as we're trying to stay pure in our heart as best we can, as long as we're concerned for ourselves and for our neighbors, I think we're going to be okay, don't you? I hope you do. I hope you're finding peace in your life and I hope, as I always do, that you'll remember to be safe and be kind. Now, where's that theme song If it's warm outside but you're feeling colder, not sure what to do. Without a friendly shoulder You're not alone, so start feeling bolder. Welcome to Bill Monty's Guide for Getting Older.