Nearly everyone becomes constipated at one time or another. Older people are more likely than younger people to become constipated, but most of the time it is not serious.
Constipation is a symptom, not a disease. Your senior loved one may be constipated if he/she is having fewer bowel movements than usual, it takes a long time to pass stools, and they are hard.
People often worry too much about having a bowel movement every day. There is no right number of daily or weekly bowel movements. Being regular is different for each person. For some people, it can mean bowel movements twice a day. For others, movements just three times a week are normal.
Questions to Ask
Some doctors suggest asking these questions to decide if your elderly parent is constipated:
- Do they often have fewer than three bowel movements a week?
- Do they often have a hard time passing stools?
- Are stools often lumpy or hard?
- Do they have a feeling of being blocked or of not having fully emptied your bowel?