What are the common sense about geriatric disease prevention and health care?

The core of geriatric disease prevention is not to follow the trend of high-priced health products or follow the trend of Internet celebrity health care actions. By implementing these two things of "early screening and slow daily adjustment", more than 80% of common geriatric disease risks can be avoided.

Not long ago, I met Uncle Wang who lived in Building 3 at a community free clinic. He always thought that "if there is nothing wrong, there is no need to go to the hospital." He had been suffering from cough for more than half a year, just like smoking. If it were not for the free lung function test and chest CT at that free clinic, which detected early-stage lung adenocarcinoma, it might have been delayed for another half a year. Many elderly people have a deep misunderstanding of "early screening" and think that screening without symptoms is a waste of money. In fact, diseases that are common in the elderly, such as lung cancer, gastric cancer, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, basically do not cause obvious pain in the early stages. If you wait until the pain becomes unbearable, it is probably already in the middle and late stages. A regular basic physical examination every year, plus a gastrointestinal endoscopy and a low-dose chest CT do not cost much, and it can really save lives.

Speaking of this, many people may think that it is right for me to pay more attention to health and exercise more, right? This is not entirely true, it depends on whether it suits your situation. Aunt Li, who was treated last month, had degenerative disease in her knees. She heard from her sister that walking 10,000 steps a day can open blood vessels. She walked with pain for three months. In the end, her meniscus was so worn that she needed arthroscopic surgery. She lay in bed regretting it. In fact, there is really no need to pursue quantity when exercising for the elderly. If the joints are good, they can walk as long as they can. If the joints are bad, they can practice Tai Chi at home, or even sit and stretch their upper limbs, and turn their heads and necks. As long as they can move, it is much better than suffering from hard work and hurting the body.

There is also a very common misunderstanding, that is, many elderly people just eat plain porridge with pickles when they hear "light diet". A while ago, a malnourished old man took care of him. He said he was afraid of having high blood lipids and did not dare to eat meat for half a year. In the end, his albumin was so low that he needed infusion for nutrition. In fact, the so-called light diet means less salt, less oil and less sugar. It does not mean that you are not allowed to eat protein. Eating one or two lean pork, fish and shrimp every day, and drinking a glass of milk is much more reliable than eating those unknown deep-sea fish oils and soft lecithin. If you really have a problem of high blood lipids, it is cheaper to ask a doctor to prescribe lipid-lowering drugs than to take health care products.

There is a lot of debate now about whether to take aspirin daily to prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. There is really no unified clinical statement. If you do not have basic diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes, nor do you have a family history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, eating aspirin indiscriminately may increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. If you really want to take aspirin, see a cardiologist for an evaluation first. Don’t just buy it and eat it yourself after your neighbors say it is useful.

In fact, there is another small thing that many people ignore, that is, don’t be reluctant to drink water. Many elderly people are afraid of getting up at night and dare not drink more water during the day. Especially when the weather is hot, thick blood is more likely to cause cerebral infarction. The old man admitted to the emergency department last time was reluctant to turn on the air conditioner in the dog days of summer. He could not drink a glass of water a day and suddenly fainted. He was sent here. Drink two more sips of warm water during the day and drink less one hour before going to bed. There is no need to worry about getting up at night. After all, these common sense are trivial things that can be touched in daily life. There is no need to believe in the miraculous effects of those who sell health care products. Doing these little things in daily life is better than anything else.