Submitted by: Kyra Muriel D.
Domoloan
Submitted to: Mr. Alberto Ladao
Top 10 Most Common Health
Issues
Physical Activity and Nutrition
Overweight and Obesity
Tobacco
Substance Abuse
HIV/AIDS
Mental Health
Injury and Violence
Environmental Quality
Immunization
Access to Health Care
Physical Activity and Nutrition
Research indicates that staying physically active can help prevent or
delay certain diseases, including some cancers, heart disease and
diabetes, and also relieve depression and improve mood. Inactivity often
accompanies advancing age, but it doesn't have to. Check with your
local churches or synagogues, senior centers, and shopping malls for
exercise and walking programs. Like exercise, your eating habits are
often not good if you live and eat alone. It's important for successful
aging to eat foods rich in nutrients and avoid the empty calories in candy
and sweets.
Overweight and Obesity
Being overweight or obese increases your chances of dying from
hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke,
gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems,
dyslipidemia and endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancers. In-
depth guides and practical advice about obesity are available from
the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of
Health.
Tobacco
Tobacco is the single greatest preventable cause of illness and
premature death in the U.S. Tobacco use is now called "Tobacco
dependence disease." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC)” says that smokers who try to quit are more successful when they
have the support of their physician.
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse usually means drugs and alcohol. These are two
areas we don't often associate with seniors, but seniors, like young
people, may self-medicate using legal and illegal drugs and alcohol,
which can lead to serious health consequences. In addition, seniors may
deliberately or unknowingly mix medications and use alcohol. Because
of our stereotypes about senior citizens, many medical people fail to ask
seniors about possible substance abuse.
HIV/AIDS
Between 11 and 15% of U.S. AIDS cases occur in seniors over age 50.
Between 1991 and 1996, AIDS in adults over 50 rose more than twice
as fast as in younger adults. Seniors are unlikely to use condoms, have
immune systems that naturally weaken with age, and HIV symptoms
(fatigue, weight loss, dementia, skin rashes, swollen lymph nodes) are
similar to symptoms that can accompany old age. Again, stereotypes
about aging in terms of sexual activity and drug use keep this problem
largely unrecognized. That's why seniors are not well represented in
research, clinical drug trials, prevention programs and efforts at
intervention.
Mental Health
Dementia is not part of aging. Dementia can be caused by disease,
reactions to medications, vision and hearing problems, infections,
nutritional imbalances, diabetes, and renal failure. There are many forms
of dementia (including Alzheimer's Disease) and some can be
temporary. With accurate diagnosis comes management and help. The
most common late-in-life mental health condition is depression. If left
untreated, depression in the elderly can lead to suicide. Here's a
surprising fact: The rate of suicide is higher for elderly white men than for
any other age group, including adolescents.
Injury and Violence
Among seniors, falls are the leading cause of injuries, hospital
admissions for trauma, and deaths due to injury. One in every three
seniors (age 65 and older) will fall each year. Strategies to reduce injury
include exercises to improve balance and strength and medication
review. Home modifications can help reduce injury. Home security is
needed to prevent intrusion. Home-based fire prevention devices should
be in place and easy to use. People aged 65 and older are twice as
likely to die in a home fire as the general population.
Environmental Quality
Even though pollution affects all of us, government studies have
indicated that low-income, racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to
live in areas where they face environmental risks. Compared to the
general population, a higher proportion of elderly are living just over the
poverty threshold.
Immunization
Influenza and pneumonia and are among the top 10 causes of death for
older adults. Emphasis on Influenza vaccination for seniors has helped.
Pneumonia remains one of the most serious infections, especially
among women and the very old.
Access to Health Care
Seniors frequently don't monitor their health as seriously as they should.
While a shortage of geriatricians has been noted nationwide, URMC has
one of the largest groups of geriatricians and geriatric specialists of any
medical community in the country. Your access to health care is as close
as URMC, offering a menu of services at several hospital
settings,including the VA Hospital in Canandaigua, in senior housing,
and in your community.
Eight healthy choices to reduce your risk for disease
The big four chronic diseases are among the most preventable. By making healthier
choices you can lower your risk. You can choose to:
Be a non-smoker and avoid second hand smoke.
If you smoke, get help to quit. Smoking is the major cause of Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and lung cancer. It is also a major
risk factor for heart attack and stroke. It's never too late to quit and reduce
your risk.
Be physically active everyday.
Find an activity you like and get moving. Your heart is a muscle that needs
regular exercise to stay healthy. Exercise will also make it easier to maintain a
healthy body weight. Ask your healthcare provider about an appropriate
exercise plan for you. It doesn't have to be complicated - it may be as simple
as adding dancing, going up and down stairs, or stretching throughout your
day. Or try starting a walking group with other people in your neighbourhood.
Exercise and friends are a great mix!
Eat healthy foods.
Following a healthy, balanced diet can help you to maintain a healthy weight,
lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk for disease. Choose high fibre,
lower fat foods and 5-10 servings of fruit and vegetables every day.
Achieve a healthy weight.
Being overweight increases your risk for diabetes, heart disease and some
cancers. The risk of a heart attack is three times higher in women who are
overweight than in those who have a healthy weight. Talk to your healthcare
provider to determine your personal healthy weight and work out a plan for
achieving or maintaining it.
Control your blood pressure.
Keeping your blood pressure in check can help prevent damage to the walls
of your arteries like tears and bulges and possibly slow the hardening of your
arteries. Have your blood pressure checked regularly by your healthcare
provider and follow your management directions.
Limit your intake of alcohol.
Drinking too much alcohol can put you at risk for many kinds of cancer. While
there is some evidence that moderate drinking may offer some health
benefits, too much alcohol is unhealthy. Moderate drinking means an average
of one drink for women or two drinks for men per day.
Reduce your stress.
Take time to relax. Stress can raise your cholesterol level and blood pressure
and lead to heart attack and stroke. Stress is also a trigger for mental health
problems like depression. See your healthcare provider for help in managing
stress.
Be screened or tested regularly.
Report any new signs and symptoms to your healthcare provider. It's also
important to know your body and have regular check-ups to measure your
blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. In many cases the earlier
a problem is detected, the easier it is to treat.
SOURCES:
[Link]
[Link]
