No substitute for a professional opinion

Good health is one of the most important things a person can have and when illness strikes it is important to get it checked out by a doctor as soon as possible.

However, there is a growing trend in the UK for people to try to diagnose themselves and this is causing problems for both patients and doctors.

Dr Victor Chua, a partner at Candesic, explained: "When the internet era took off (2000 onwards) younger patients started turning up with 50 pages printed off from various medical websites, half of which on conditions they didn’t have."

Consequently, patients get unnecessarily worried and it can be dangerous if a patient wrongly diagnoses themselves and delays seeing a professional.

Thus, older adults concerned about either their physical and mental health must see a doctor as soon immediately to both put their minds at rest and ensure that they receive the appropriate treatment.

Find the nearest Barchester care home.