Protect Your Health as You Grow Older

Info Source: http://www.healthfinder.gov/prevention/PrintTopic.aspx?topicId=80

Protect Your Health as You Grow Older

The Basics

Getting older doesn’t have to mean losing your health. To stay healthy as you age:

• Eat healthy
• Keep your mind and body active
• Get regular checkups
• Take steps to prevent accidents

Remember, it’s never too late to make healthy changes in your life.

Stay active to live longer and better.
Staying active can help you:

• Reduce your risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer
• Avoid falls and other injuries
• Live on your own longer
• Prevent depression

Plus, staying active may help keep your mind sharp.

Take Action!

These steps can help you live a longer, healthier life.

Eat healthy.
As you get older, you may not be able to eat all the foods you used to eat. But eating healthy meals is still important, no matter what your age.

Here are some tips:

• Choose lots of vegetables and fruits in different colors.
• Make sure most of your grains (like rice and pasta) are whole grains.
• Drink low-fat or fat-free milk.
• Choose lean meats, poultry, seafood, beans, eggs, and nuts.
• Stay away from trans and saturated fats, cholesterol, sodium (salt), and added sugar.

Check out the answers to these frequently asked questions about eating well as you get older (http://nihseniorhealth.gov/eatingwellasyougetolder/faq/faqlist.html).

Get active.
Staying active is one of the best things you can do for your health. Aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, like walking or raking leaves.

• To get the most health benefits, do aerobic activity for at least 10 minutes at a time.
• If it’s hard for you to be active for more than 10 minutes at once, do 10 minutes of activity a few times during the day.
• Do strengthening and balance activities 2 days a week. Try these strength and balance exercises for seniors (http://nihseniorhealth.gov/exerciseforolderadults/exercisestotry/01.html).
• If you have a health condition, be as active as you can be. Your doctor can help you choose the best activities for you.
• Follow these safety tips during physical activity (http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/young_heart.htm#safephysical).
• Keep your mind active. Read, do crossword puzzles, or learn new things.

Get more tips to help you stay active as you get older.

Get more tips to help you stay active as you get older.

If you smoke, quit.
When you quit, your risk of heart disease will start to go down right away. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-QUIT-NOW end_of_the_skype_highlighting (1-800-784-8669 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-784-8669 end_of_the_skype_highlighting) for free support and to set up your quit plan.

Get regular checkups.

• Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions or problems with your medicines.
• If you think you might be depressed, tell your doctor. Depression can be treated and is nothing to be ashamed of. Check out these frequently asked questions about depression and older adults (http://nihseniorhealth.gov/depression/faq/faqlist.html).
• Schedule important screening tests. Print out one of these checklists to show your doctor.
  • Women: Stay Healthy at Age 50+ [PDF - 100 KB] (http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/women50.pdf)
  • Men: Stay Healthy at Age 50+ [PDF - 100 KB] (http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/men50.pdf)

Stay safe at home and in the car.
Older adults are at greater risk for injuries from falls, home fires, and car crashes.

Take steps to prevent falls.
Do these 4 things to prevent falls:

• Exercise to improve your balance and leg strength.
• Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medicines. Some medicines can make you dizzy.
• Have your vision checked. Update your glasses or contact lenses when your vision changes.
• Use this home fall prevention checklist (http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Falls/CheckListForSafety.html) to find and fix dangers in your home.

Put smoke alarms on every floor of your home.

• Put smoke alarms in each bedroom and on the ceiling outside bedroom doors.
• Don’t forget to put a smoke alarm in the basement.
• Test your smoke alarms once a month by pushing the test button.
• Change the batteries in your smoke alarms every year. (Tip: Change smoke alarm batteries when you change your clock back from Daylight Savings Time in the fall.)
• If a smoke alarm makes a chirping noise, replace the battery right away. This noise is a sign that the battery is low.

Get more tips on smoke alarms (http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/campaigns/50plus/smokealarms.shtm).

Watch for changes that may affect your driving.
Getting older doesn’t make you a bad driver. But changes that come with aging can make it harder for you to drive safely. You may have trouble seeing at night or find it harder to react quickly to avoid an accident.

Take these steps to stay safe:

• Get your vision and hearing checked.
• Always wear your seat belt.
• Drive on streets you know.

Get tips on how to stay safe behind the wheel (http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/drivers.htm).

Learn more about depression and using medicines safely.

Start Today: Small Steps

• Make an appointment to get your vision checked.
• Check your smoke alarm.
• Get tips on how to talk with your doctor (http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/TalkingWithYourDoctor/).

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Content last updated on: February 25, 2011