What is the core information on elderly health?

We have been providing community health services for the elderly for 8 years, and the core conclusion we came to is actually quite counter-intuitive - health for the elderly is never about "nothing wrong from head to toe", but about being able to eat well, sleep well, do what you want to do, and take care of yourself even if you have chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and arthritis. This is true health.

Just like the 72-year-old Aunt Zhang in our community, she was diagnosed with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes almost 20 years ago. When she first got the disease, she was scared and felt that she would become a "medicine jar" and "a burden on the family" for the rest of her life. Later, she followed our health management team for three years and now takes two antihypertensive drugs and one antidiabetic drug on time every day. I do Tai Chi for 40 minutes in the morning, go to the Senior Citizen University to learn gongbi painting in the afternoon, and help the neighborhood committee organize volunteer activities for the elderly on weekends. In the last annual physical examination, in addition to the stable basic disease indicators, the grip strength, walking speed, and cognitive function scores are higher than many of my peers who do not have chronic diseases and watch TV at home every day. Do you think this is considered healthy? It definitely counts.

There is a lot of quarrel on the Internet now about whether the elderly should take health supplements. Two groups of people are arguing over it. One group says that the elderly have poor metabolism and must supplement with protein powder, selenium tablets, and various vitamins to avoid nutritional deficiencies. The other group says that normal eating is enough. All supplements are IQ taxes. We have seen too many people who go to extremes when doing missionary work in the community. Last year, Uncle Li from our area spent more than 3,000 yuan after listening to a health lecture and bought a complex nutritional powder that was said to "can cure diabetes." After three months of eating, his blood sugar did not drop. Instead, his uric acid level soared to 580, and his feet were so swollen that he couldn't even put on shoes. Later, we asked colleagues in the nutrition department to adjust his diet. He added a boiled egg and a small cup of warm milk every day, steamed sea bass twice a week, and more dark green vegetables. He did not take any expensive supplements. After half a year, not only did his uric acid return to the normal range, but his blood sugar was also much more stable than before. In fact, there is no standard answer to this matter. If the elderly are picky eaters, eat less meat and eggs, are underweight, and have poor digestion and absorption, they can supplement protein powder, vitamin D, etc. under the guidance of a doctor or nutritionist.

There are also many old people who believe that "money can't buy you old age and lose weight", and they try their best to lose weight, counting every grain of rice they eat. In fact, it is really unnecessary. During the influenza pandemic at the end of last year, we conducted follow-up visits. Among the elderly of the same age group, the BMI (which is the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. The normal range for ordinary people is 18.5 to 23.9, and the elderly can be appropriately relaxed to between 20 and 24). Most of the elderly in this range recovered from the fever in two or three days, and few were seriously ill. For those who were thin and had a BMI of less than 18, nearly 40% developed pneumonia and stayed in the hospital for a long time. To put it bluntly, the soft meat on the old man's body is the "emergency food reserve" at critical times. If he really gets sick or undergoes a minor operation, he can't withstand the torment without some nutritional reserves.

Many people talk about health in the elderly and only focus on physiological indicators such as blood pressure and blood sugar. In fact, the role of psychological state and social connection is no less important than physiological indicators. We met a 76-year-old Grandpa Wang a while ago. He had no physical problems before, not even high blood pressure. Since his wife left, he has been sitting at home in a daze every day. He is unwilling to go out and interact with people. He can't eat. He has lost 20 pounds in half a year. When he did a cognitive screening last year, there were already signs of early cognitive decline. Later, his daughter listened to our suggestion and signed him up for a community senior cycling team. At first, he was reluctant to join, but he rode with it twice and met several old guys of the same age group. Now he rides with her twice a week, and occasionally goes camping with friends in the surrounding areas. This time, he did a cognitive screening again, and his score returned to the normal level. Even he said with a smile that hanging out with friends is more effective than taking any supplements.

In fact, to put it bluntly, there are not so many mysterious things about health in old age. It is nothing more than taking medicine according to the doctor's instructions and eating well. When eating well, don't diet blindly. If you want to go out and play, hang out with your old friends. Don't dwell on your little problems every day and don't ignore your discomfort and not go to the doctor. Living a good life comfortably is better than anything else.