What are the preventive measures for geriatric diseases?

The core logic of geriatric disease prevention is phased intervention throughout the life cycle, rather than waiting until retirement at age 60 to start remediation. Consciously adjusting living habits from the age of 35, conducting targeted screening after the age of 60, and doing long-term management and control of chronic diseases in advanced age can delay the onset of 80% of common geriatric diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cognitive decline by 5-10 years, and some mild diseases can even be completely avoided.

Last week I met 58-year-old Zhou at a community free clinic. Two years ago, his physical examination revealed that his blood pressure was critically elevated. He didn’t think he was dizzy or uncomfortable, so he didn’t take it seriously. He couldn’t live without braised meat and Erliang Baijiu. This time, his blood pressure had soared to 160/100. The urine test also showed trace amounts of albumin, indicating early signs of kidney damage. If he had reduced his daily salt intake and walked half an hour longer after dinner when he discovered that his blood pressure was unstable in his 40s, he would never have to take three antihypertensive drugs now.

Many people have a misunderstanding, thinking that "senile diseases" are diseases that only occur when you are old. In fact, the incubation period of these chronic diseases is usually 10 to 30 years. When you were young, staying up late every day, eating high-fat and high-salt meals, and never exercising were all the triggers for the disease in old age.

Nowadays, there are different opinions in the academic circles on whether the elderly should take regular supplements. One school of thought believes that as long as the daily diet is balanced and the intake of meat, eggs, milk, vegetables and fruits is sufficient, there is no need to take additional supplements. Taking too much supplements will increase the metabolic burden on the liver and kidneys.； The other group believes that the digestion and absorption ability of the elderly has deteriorated, and even if they eat enough, they may not be able to absorb enough. Appropriate supplementation of basic supplements such as vitamin D and calcium has more benefits than disadvantages. The current common advice in our community is to first conduct a free nutritional screening for the elderly. Just make up for whatever is missing. Don’t follow the trend and buy “longevity miracle medicine” or “anti-cancer package” that costs thousands. In the past, an elderly person bought supplements indiscriminately and had elevated transaminases, and ended up in the hospital for a week.

In fact, many preventive actions are hidden in the details of life. When buying food, choose more dark green vegetables, eat deep-sea fish two or three times a week, stock up less pickles and bacon at home, and replace the salt spoon used for cooking with a small spoon of 1 gram. A lighter mouth is more effective than any anti-hypertensive health product. Don’t think that you should lie down and rest at home when you are old. Downstairs, the 72-year-old Aunt Zhang dances with her sisters for 40 minutes every morning and evening. She also signed up for a calligraphy class in the community. The last physical examination showed that her bone density was better than that of many 50-year-old middle-aged people, and her blood lipids and blood sugar were all in the right range. On a normal scale, she always said, "You can't be lazy when you get old. The more you lie down, the more you fall apart." This is really true. Moderate exercise and socializing with old friends not only exercise your muscles, but are also good for preventing cognitive decline. It is much better than sitting at home and watching TV all day.

Of course, you don’t have to live your life too tightly. It’s perfectly okay to have a craving for braised pork once in a while or drink half a glass of wine during festivals. If you don’t dare to eat this or touch that for the so-called “health”, being sad every day will actually affect your mood. Bad mood is also one of the causes of geriatric diseases, and the most important thing is to control it. Also, don’t just think about routine blood drawing and B-ultrasound for physical examination. Elderly people over 60 years old should have fundus examination, bone density test, and cognitive function preliminary screening every year. It only costs tens of dollars. It can detect problems such as glaucoma, osteoporosis, and early cognitive impairment early. The effect of early intervention is much better than delaying treatment until it is serious.