How The Colorado Gerontological Society Helps Seniors to Stay Healthy

Established in 1980, the Colorado Gerontological Society supports seniors throughout Colorado, as well as their families. The organization helps its clients to access nursing home placement, housing options, and food supplies. Moreover, the organization can connect them with geriatric physicians.

In addition, the Colorado Gerontological Society provides referrals and counseling, helps seniors to access Medicare and Medicaid, and administers grant assistance programs for eyeglasses, dental work, and hearing aids.

Recently, the Colorado Gerontological Society introduced its Healthy Aging Series to support seniors seeking to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. We look at the organization’s advice for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and the vital work that it undertakes to support Colorado seniors and their families.

Staying healthy, fit, and active

While both environmental conditions and genetic factors can impact health and longevity, exercise, diet, and daily habits also play a significant role. The Colorado Gerontological Society’s Healthy Aging Series aims to identify risk factors and provides helpful screening tools and preventive strategies to enable seniors to reduce their risk of developing chronic disease.

The Healthy Aging Series explains the various tests and examinations administered by health professionals in order to achieve a definitive diagnosis. In addition, it outlines critical questions that patients should ask to ensure proper disease management. Through the series, people can obtain access to a variety of interactive tools to manage or prevent chronic disease, as well as useful tips, resources, and information on voluntary health organizations.

Alzheimer’s disease

As people grow older, their brain function tends to slow down, but their memory should remain largely intact. Nevertheless, with 1 in 7 people aged 71 and older experiencing some form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease is relatively common and affects approximately 2.4 million Americans today.

While age and genetics are important factors, there are things that people can do to reduce their chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease, including the following:

·       Reduce your risk of head injury by using helmets and seatbelts, where appropriate, as well as fall-proofing your home

·       Reduce cholesterol intake

·       Exercise for 30 minutes each day

·       Maintain a healthy diet

·       Quit smoking

·       Take a vitamin B12 supplement

·       Manage blood pressure, body weight, blood sugar levels, and cholesterol

·       Attend medical checkups on a regular basis

·       Consult a dietitian when issues related to texture, taste, and swallowing interfere with your diet

·       Maintain a wide social circle by joining groups and staying socially active. Participating in social activities has been shown to decrease the risk of dementia. Staying physically active also has a positive impact in terms of mental and spiritual well-being.

Arthritis

While we tend to think of aches and pains as an inevitable part of the aging process, arthritis can be a debilitating condition. There are things we can do to stave off the onset of arthritis or to diminish the severity of symptoms. They include the following:

·       Maintain a healthy weight

·       Do stretching exercises regularly to maintain range of motion and flexibility

·       Strengthen the muscles around the joints by performing isometric exercises

·       Obtain an arthritis screening to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment

Cancer

Cancer encompasses a group of complex diseases that can affect virtually any part of the body: from the eyes to the internal organs and the bones. There are numerous different kinds of cancer, each with their own unique pattern of progression and potential for early diagnosis and treatment.

Characterized by cell mutations that grow unchecked and result in tumors, a relatively small selection of different types of cancer account for most cases of cancer in the United States. Of all the different types of cancer, breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer account for more than 50% of all cancer deaths in the United States.

Depending on the type of cancer, the symptoms can vary widely. Age and genetics are both contributing factors in terms of the risk of developing the disease. Nevertheless, there are things we can all do to lower our likelihood of being affected by cancer, including the following:

·       Cultivate a healthy diet

·       Lose excess weight

·       Quit smoking

·       Exercise on a regular basis

·       Ensure regular screenings and exams

Heart disease

Known collectively as “cardiovascular disease,” many conditions affect the heart. Coronary artery disease is a cardiovascular condition that occurs when fatty deposits or blood clots migrate to the heart, inhibiting the flow of oxygen. Coronary heart disease causes over 50% of all cardiovascular deaths in the United States, with around a third of the total deaths throughout the country attributed to the disease.

Other common types of heart conditions include angina, high blood pressure, heart attack, arrythmia, cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, heart murmur, atrial fibrillation, and pulmonary embolism.

Here are a few steps that we can all take to lower our risk of developing heart disease:

·       Keep cholesterol levels in check

·       Maintain a healthy diet

·       Exercise regularly

·       Quit smoking

·       Ensure good oral hygiene (bacteria from the mouth can trigger heart disease)

·       Reduce caffeine and sodium intake

·       Effectively manage stress and anxiety

·       Achieve and maintain a healthy weight