Health knowledge for the elderly

Don’t believe in a unified “health template”. Give priority to avoiding the three major risks of falls, acute attacks of chronic diseases, and emotional exhaustion. All diet and exercise adjustments must be combined with your own basic disease conditions. It is more effective than taking any supplements or making up any exercise KPIs.

Nowadays, many elderly people are saving their retirement funds to buy various health products. The last time I met Aunt Zhang in the community, she spent more than 3,000 to grab imported propolis that is said to be able to "unblock blood vessels." After half a month of eating, her blood sugar rose to 7.8, and she went to the community hospital and was talked about by the doctor for a long time. Nowadays, the opinions on supplements on the Internet are divided into two sides. One group says that naturally extracted things are non-toxic and harmless, and long-term consumption can always regulate the body. ； The other school is the consensus of the clinical nutrition department: as long as the daily intake of eggs, milk, vegetables, and staple foods is normal, ordinary elderly people do not need to take additional supplements at all. If you are really deficient in calcium or vitamins, you must first do a blood test and bone density screening, and supplement according to the amount under the guidance of a doctor. Many of the supplements you buy blindly add excipients such as maltose and fructose. Elderly people with abnormal glucose tolerance and gout take them, which actually puts a burden on the liver, kidneys, and metabolism. Oh, by the way, if you are really unsure about what you want to buy, go to the community hospital and ask for the registration fee, which is only one yuan. It is much more reliable than staring at the live broadcast room and listening to the anchor's bluff.

After stepping out of the food trap, many old people turned around and started to excel in sports. Uncle Wang, who lives in the front building, had degenerative knee disease before. He heard from an old man that walking 10,000 steps a day can lower blood pressure. He walked for two weeks and ended up in so much pain that he couldn't go downstairs. He went to the orthopedics department and had physical therapy for half a month before he recovered. The sports medicine community does recommend that the elderly maintain 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activities every week, but there is no unified standard for this "moderate intensity": If your joints are good, you can briskly walk or do Tai Chi. If your joints are severely worn, you can sit on a chair and stretch your upper limbs, practice the basic movements of Baduanjin, and even wipe two more tables at home and mop the floor are considered effective activities. There is no need to stare at the exercise rankings and compare step counts every day. Walking until your knees hurt or you are breathless and you can't speak is just trying to keep up. That's not keeping in good health, it's looking for illness.

You may not believe it, but compared to eating the wrong things and exercising too much, the number one killer of the health of the elderly is actually a seemingly inconspicuous fall. Last year at a community free clinic, I met a 72-year-old Grandma Li. Her blood pressure and blood sugar were usually stable, but she couldn't bear to turn on the headlights in the middle of the night for fear of wasting electricity. She stepped on her water-soaked sandals and fell, causing a hip fracture. She originally had a high chance of recovery after the surgery, but she lay down for two weeks without wanting to move, which caused a lung infection, and she finally survived. Nowadays, many elderly people feel that they are very handy, and their children say that installing bathroom handrails and replacing anti-slip mats is too troublesome and looks old. However, public data from the National Health Commission shows that the annual fall incidence rate for elderly people over 65 years old is 30%, and more than half of them occur at home. The bathroom and bedside are the two most common places. It costs hundreds of yuan to install these protections, which is less than a fraction of the hospitalization deposit. The price-performance ratio is extremely high.

There is another invisible killer that many people don’t take seriously, which is emotions. When I just changed jobs two years ago, my mother was so worried that she couldn't sleep at home every day. She was sometimes afraid that I would be unstable, sometimes afraid that I would not eat well, and her blood pressure often reached 140/90. Later, I forced her to sign up for a flower-and-bird painting class at a community college for the elderly. She went to the park to sketch and have dinner with a group of old friends every day. Now she has even reduced her antihypertensive pills by half. The traditional concept is that the elderly should stay at home to take care of their children, take care of the housework, and take care of their children. However, clinical data from the geriatric psychology department now shows that the more elderly people have their own social circle, have their own interests and hobbies, and are less involved in their children's family affairs, their blood pressure and blood sugar are more stable, and their sleep quality is much better. To put it bluntly, if an old man takes care of himself comfortably, he can do the greatest favor to his children.

In fact, there is no common sense about elderly health that is universally applicable. Last time I chatted with Dr. Wang from a community hospital, he said that he has been practicing medicine for thirty years and has met old people who have smoked and drank all their lives and lived into their 90s. I have also met people who strictly follow healthy diets every day and have heart attacks in their 50s. The core thing is that you know your own body best. Don’t listen to what is said on the internet. Just follow what is good. Get regular physical examinations. If you feel uncomfortable, go to the hospital in time. Don’t force yourself. Eat and sleep well every day, and worry less about other things. This is more effective than any expert advice.