Staying Healthier Longer
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Americans today are living longer than ever. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) the average life span for a male born in 1998 is about 74 years, and almost 80 for a female.
Living longer means we begin to encounter health concerns that we may never have thought about. Making our homes safer to avoid accidents becomes more important. In the year 2000 alone, there were over 2,000 trips to an emergency room due to falls by residents of Berkeley, Charleston or Dorchester counties age 65 or older, of which 19% had to be further hospitalized. Exercise remains very important. Exercise will help reduce your risk of further damage by heart disease, diabetes and arthritis. A research study done in Quebec, Canada, even attributes exercise with reducing the risk of Alzheimer's.
There is a lot we can do to help make our lives healthier as we age.
- Exercise and physical activity remains a key factor to staying healthy. Strengthening, stretching and flexibility exercises become even more important as you get older. They help with coordination and balance, reducing bone loss and aid in arthritis therapy.
- It's never too late to stop smoking. The benefits of quitting are many and proven. Giving up cigarettes and cigars will help both your heart and your lungs.
- Reduce the risk of accidents. Make your home as safe as possible.
- Make sure you have had a pneumonia vaccine.
- Get a flu shot every year. The older you become the higher the risk that a case of the flu can lead to pneumonia.
These are some addition resources for more information on remaining healthy in your senior years:
www.nia.nih.gov/health
www.cdc.gov/health/seniors.htm
www.alzheimers.org/
www.aarp.org/healthguide/
www.infoaging.org/
www.asaging.org
www.aoa.dhhs.gov/