Health issues can be a problem for many people, especially in the senior years. While you can’t control your genetics or what’s already happened, it’s never too late to get healthy. A little bit of dedicated effort and awareness can make a big difference in your health. Here are some of the essential things to be aware of and tips for improving your well-being.
Safeguard Your Heart Health
Heart health issues are the number one threat to your health. If you haven’t had any previous heart issues, keep an eye on these key metrics that could signal developing problems:
- Blood pressure
- Cholesterol levels
- Blood sugar issues, which could indicate diabetes
If you have had previous heart issues, such as a heart attack or stroke, make sure to go through a doctor-approved cardiac rehab program. Regular exercise, a nutritious diet, and avoiding smoking can help keep your heart healthy.
Keep a List of Your Medications
Many seniors are taking numerous medications, often prescribed by multiple different doctors. Although the process of coordinating care is improving, it’s still all too frequent that doctors can make mistakes. When multiple doctors are prescribing medication, there’s an increased risk of taking drugs with interactions or duplicate effects. Keep a list of all your medications and bring it to each appointment. Ask your doctors for a periodic review of your medications. Drugs may have interactions with each other or could even be either causing or masking important symptoms.
Protect Your Mental Health
Physical wellness isn’t the only issue of concern. Mental health is also essential at every stage of life, but especially for seniors. Loneliness, financial worries, and physical health problems can take a disproportionate toll on seniors’ mental health. Make sure that you mention symptoms of depression or anxiety to your doctor, including the following:
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Loss of interest in things that used to bring you joy
- Feelings of hopelessness or despair
- Difficulty focusing attention or making decisions
- Irritability
- Aches and pains that aren’t resolved by treatment
- Isolation or withdrawal from seeing others
These symptoms can indicate problems with depression or other mental health concerns. Many people incorrectly attribute them to normal signs of aging, which they are not. Fortunately, mental health is very treatable. Medication, talk therapy, and increasing social contact can help alleviate symptoms of depression.
Assemble a Support Team
Part of remaining healthy and functional is having a good team of people to support you. Assemble a group of people who can help you attend to all the things you need to do, from making doctors’ appointments to assisting with shopping if you need help. It’s common, especially for seniors, for people to be reluctant to ask for help, fearing they’ll be bothering others. But this isn’t true! Most people love to help. If someone has ever offered to help, they meant it.
Make a Plan
There’s never a point in life where you can stop making plans for the future. Whether it’s planning to reach a goal or preparing others in what to do in the event of your illness or eventual death, it’s important to plan. The more you can write down what you intend to do and what you expect from others, the clearer and smoother every day can be. Click here to learn more about making end of life plans.
To learn more about Assisted Home Health or the services we offer, call 800-949-6555 or visit us at www.AssistedCares.com
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