Wrapping up relating Level 1 of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to my older friends. Inspired originally by an article by a respected expert on elder care that left me wanting more, left me thinking, "But how does it REALLY relate?" One of the things I'd never given much thought to are the problems many older people experience with something as basic as breathing.
Having taught biology, I knew that the process causes an exchange of carbon dioxide & oxygen in our bloodstream, that inspiration is when we breathe in & expiration is when we breathe out & respiration is the two combined - aka breathing. But was clueless about specific problems that can happen & cause serious, life-threatening damage as we get up there in years.
Go to out grocery shopping, out to the mall, even to dinner & you're likely to spot an older person sporting a personal oxygen tank. The older we get, the more vulnerable we are to developing problems with our breathing. Whatever the culprits - from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders) to congestive heart failure (CHF), asthma to lung cancer - the person isn't breathing in or processing sufficient oxygen.
If you have an older friend or relation, never dismiss breathing problems as just normal with aging. They are often symptoms of serious breathing disorders. Being able to recognize an older person is having a breathing crisis can be the difference in getting them appropriate care.
Everyone, young adult to oldster, should take time for an online search of breathing disorders. One thing I discovered is that air travel can be an issue. Never thought about that!
The best thing is to talk to a doctor about any suspected problems, your own or a loved one's. Nothing - including the most extensive online search - beats actual medical advice. And breathing problems are nothing to take lightly. It's estimated we can three weeks without food, three days without water, but only three minutes without air!
A sampling of articles I came across on my online search:
http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
https://suite.io/katrena-wells/2tkn2n9
http://www.healthline.com/symptom/rapid-shallow-breathing
http://www.care.com/senior-care-caring-for-seniors-with-breathing-problems-p1143-q317309.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/187394-what-are-the-causes-of-shortness-of-breath-in-the-elderly/
http://www.healthline.com/symptom/rapid-shallow-breathing
http://www.aeromedic.com/news/uncategorized/3-steps-fly-portable-oxygen-concentrator/
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=how+long+can+we+live+without+air
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