What Causes Shakiness in Elderly

No Simple Answer to What Causes Shakiness in Elderly Individuals

Elderly individuals often face a multitude of health and proper care issues. While there’s not a clear-cut reason as to why an individual may be shakier than another, two major health conditions have shakes, tremors, and unsteadiness as symptoms.

Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is a brain disorder that leads to various movement issues, among them shakiness, limited walking ability, and poor coordination.

Parkinson’s is not limited to older individuals, but the majority of cases seen do develop in people over the age of 50. This disease affects around two out of every 1,000 individuals and both males and females. In some cases, a family may have a history of Parkinson’s and in these situations, individuals can develop symptoms at a younger than normal. However, when older individuals experience the onset of Parkinson's, the cause is usually not heredity and is otherwise unknown.

The reason Parkinson’s causes shaking is because nerve cells that control movement are slowly destroyed. In the simplest terms, nerve cells rely on dopamine to send movement signals to muscles. As nerve cells are destroyed, so are the body’s dopamine stores and thus a person’s muscles receive fewer or no signals. Proper movement functions are lost and in an effort to control muscles, the body shakes.

Sometimes only brain cells controlling one side of the body deteriorate, causing shakiness on one side of the body. But more often both sides of the body are affected.

Parkinson’s symptoms are managable if detected early, but there is no known cure for the disease. Symptom management is different for all individuals. Some patients respond well to treatments and others hardly at all. Much research and time is spent looking for a cure because in some cases, the disease will progress to complete physical and mental disability if not properly treated.

To learn more about this disease visit The National Parkinson Foundation.

Essential Tremor

The Mayo Clinic reports that what causes shakiness in elderly people is often thought to be a common aging process. This is far from true. In fact, what many elderly experience is a movement disorder called Essential tremor.

This problem affects so many individuals, approximately 0.3-5.6 percent of the general U.S. population, that when shakiness occurs, this is often what health care providers first diagnose as the problem.

Essential tremor can appear in young people but is far more likely to affect older adults. For most people, the first sign is a tremor or shakiness in the hands. Essential tremor can start very gradually and progress to other areas of the body. Most of the time these tremors only occur when someone is trying to complete a voluntary movement like writing or holding a cup. Very fine motor movements such as the ones used to thread a needle or hammer a nail are the hardest for people with essential tremor. During rest periods the tremors can vanish completely.

An individual can have a mild case of essential tremor for their entire life and it may not affect them much. Some cases develop later in life and may progress to increased levels of disability over time.

Essential tremor is a far less debilitating condition than Parkinson’s. This is because Parkinson’s is always negatively progressive, whereas essential tremor is not a disease that always leads to serious complications, and is far more manageable. Still, for the people experiencing essential tremor, the shakiness can be frustrating.

While some people get nervous and compare essential tremor to Parkinson’s, there are some key differences between the conditions:

• Essential tremor occurs usually when movement is in progress, while Parkinson’s shakes occurs most of the time, even when the body is at rest.
• Parkinson’s often comes with a host of other health issues. The typical case of essential tremor is a stand alone issue, meaning, a person will shake at times but otherwise be healthy. Both conditions can cause emotional and mental stress, though.
• Essential tremor can cause shakiness in the head and voice, while Parkinson’s rarely does.

One current issue being looked into surrounding essential tremor is dementia. Two years ago, The American Academy of Neurology presented findings that showed that people with essential tremor are more than two times as likely to develop dementia as people without this condition. It’s important research, which can lead to better and earlier care for people with dementia.

To learn more visit The International Essential Tremor Foundation .

Proper Health Care is Important

If you’re wondering what causes shakiness in elderly individuals or an individual you care about, it’s essential you make sure this person receives health care and support. Without proper health care, it’s impossible to know for sure what is causing the shakiness. The two conditions above are common but shakes and tremors can also be the result of:

• Elderly abuse
• Alcohol abuse
• Alcohol and other drug withdrawls, including prescription medication withdrawals or incorrect dosing
• Elderly depression
• Bi-polar disorder
• Other diseases of the basal ganglia, such as Parkinson’s

Tools that make the shaking syndrome more managable include aging assistive products. However, the most important thing is to talk to a doctor if you or someone you care about is experiencing shakiness. The sooner you address the issue the better, both for treatment purposes and overall elderly health and fitness.