
Healthy Aging Tips for Every Decade of Your Life
By Tessie Mathew, DO
Making healthy choices during each decade of your life is key to healthy aging. Here’s your checklist for your 20s, 30s and beyond.
Making healthy choices during each decade of your life is key to healthy aging. Here’s your checklist for your 20s, 30s and beyond.
Bone mineral density (BMD) scans, also known as dual-energy X‑ray absorptiometry (DEXA or DXA) scans, use a very small amount of radiation to determine the mineral content in your bones and tests for osteoporosis and/or osteopenia.
Caring for an aging loved one can be rewarding — but also challenging. Here are 9 tips to help caregivers prioritize their own physical and mental health.
May is National Osteoporosis Month, a great time to set the record straight about this debilitating and potentially deadly disease. While it’s the most common type of bone disease, misunderstanding exists about who can suffer from it and what can be done to prevent it.
While prolonged hospital stays are intended to restore your body, long periods of bedrest may result in various physical side effects. BreakThrough Care Center physician, Dr. Karl Szafranski, shares insights to help prepare you for physical changes that you may experience with a long hospital stay.
After age 50, fractured bones present a major health threat for approximately 50% of men and women (that’s right, men can be impacted as well). The culprit is a disease called osteoporosis and is characterized by poor bone quality.
Caregivers sacrifice a lot for those they care for, but, oftentimes, neglect their own health in the process. Between helping with everyday living, managing medical care and taking care of household activities, it is no surprise that many caregivers feel mentally and physically exhausted over time. To help prevent symptoms of “burnout”, we have compiled tips to recognize caregiver fatigue in yourself and others, as well as how to practice self-care in such a demanding role.
Dementia refers to a group of diseases and symptoms that are associated with a decline in memory and cognitive function severe enough to interfere with everyday life. It is most common in those over the age of 65 and may cause symptoms that hinder the ability to think, remember and reason. Today, approximately 47.5 million people are living with dementia worldwide.
It is normal for you to experience changes in your vision throughout your life, and as you age, your risk of developing certain eye conditions increases as well. For most people, changes in their eyes begin in their early to mid-40s and will continue into their early 60s. The most common visual change in older adults is difficulty seeing things close by, primarily when reading or working on a computer. This is a condition called presbyopia, a normal change in your eye’s ability to focus. This happens when the lens of your eye loses some of its flexibility, making it more difficult for your eyes to shift easily from objects far away to objects nearby. Typical symptoms include difficulty reading print materials including books, newspapers or menus, especially in dim light. You may find yourself holding objects away from you in order to see more clearly. Once it develops, presbyopia will continue to progress as you age. Individuals who already wear glasses or contact lenses may need to switch to bifocal or multifocal lenses for help with near and far distances. Those who haven’t needed contacts or glasses in the past may need to use reading glasses moving forward.
Growing old may be inevitable, however, aging well is a choice. Thanks to medical advancements and increased access to care, the average American is living to nearly 80 years old. Taking a proactive approach, and establishing healthy habits now can help you to feel your best as you enter into your golden years. Our Internal Medicine physicians, as well as some of their active senior patients, share what you can do now to remain healthy, regardless of your age.