Staying Healthy in Older Years

Simple Self-help Methods Can do Much to Limit the Effects of Ageing

May 18, 2009

Although ageing is inevitable, regular exercise, good diet and positive engagement with life can make the older years as fulfilling as any other time.

Age-related changes become increasingly apparent as time goes by and everyone is aware that disease is more likely the older we become.

With the many drugs and medical procedures available that make the older years more comfortable it’s easy to forget that there is much that senior citizens can do for themselves that can make a big difference to the quality and quantity of life.

Many of the age-related changes that bring about a poor quality of life do so because of their effects on the circulatory and nervous systems. But through some simple life-style adjustments it’s possible to develop optimal working of these two body systems. And since every other tissue of the body depends on good blood circulation and nerve supply, the functioning of all organs is enhanced in this way.

The areas that stand out in terms of lowered quality of life in the elderly are:

In each of these areas the introduction of self-help methods can do much to reduce their negative impact on daily life.

Bladder Weakness

There are several reasons for this: in men it can be due to prostate enlargement and in women due to weak pelvic floor muscles from childbirth. There are drug and surgical procedures to deal with prostate problems and surgery and exercise to help the pelvic floor muscles.

A major cause of bladder weakness in the elderly is lack of nervous control of the bladder’s detrusor muscle. The good news is that this problem usually responds well to a simple exercise regime involving the patient urinating at fixed intervals and then gradually extending those intervals.

Poor Balance

Two common reasons for this in the elderly are some medicinal drugs and poor functioning of the balance system.

Information used by the brain to control balance comes from several sources. The balance organ is the labyrinth in the inner ear which signals the angle the head. Other information comes from the muscles of the neck, calves and feet.

Keeping the neck and leg muscles in good condition can help balance for two reasons: firstly, the more supple the muscles then the more efficient will be the stretch receptors which signal muscle position to the brain. Secondly, frequent use of the muscles will mean that the nerve signalling pathways will be kept fully open.

Regular gentle neck exercises and frequent walking or cycling will help keep good tone and circulation in muscles.

Stiffness in Joints and Muscles

Age-related changes in connective tissue mean that muscle and joint tissue loses its elasticity. In addition the normal turnover of bone and cartilage is less efficient in the elderly predisposing towards osteoarthritis.

It’s known that using the muscles and joints helps the connective tissue stay more elastic; also, having good circulation to these tissues tends to normalise tissue turnover and slow the progress of osteoarthritis. So it comes back to exercise again. The more regular exercise you can take the better.

Diminished Intellectual Function

This is the one that scares people. Brain function can deteriorate in the elderly because of age-changes in the nerve cells and impaired blood circulation to the brain. Good circulation to the brain means good glucose and oxygen supply the brain cells; this helps improve their function regardless of their inherent state.

There is growing evidence that, just like the muscles and joints, the more you use the brain the better it performs. This is unsurprising since all cells of the body are programmed to be constantly receiving and sending information; if this flow slows down enough then the cells have a tendency to shut down.

In addition to maintaining good circulation it’s vital to keep the brain active – it just loves having lots of interesting information passing through it. This is why it’s important to engage in as much social interaction as you can and take on new challenges.

There is some evidence that the herb ginkgo biloba improves circulation in the brain and can improve intellectual function.

Inefficient Blood Circulation

It’s clear from what’s been said that good circulation is vital to efficient functioning in old age. This in turn requires three things: a healthy heart, good blood vessels and working muscles.

To be healthy of course the heart itself needs good circulation. And this means blood vessels need to be flexible and have smooth inner walls. The two ways of achieving this are: exercise - no apologies for repeating this, and good diet –the Mediterranean diet is the one recommended nowadays. In addition to this the heart needs the action of the leg muscles which act as an auxiliary circulation pump.

This article is for information only. Before you embark on self-help methods it’s important that you discuss any health concerns with your doctor.

Resource

The copyright of the article Staying Healthy in Older Years in Seniors' Health/Medicare is owned by John Richard Roberts. Permission to republish Staying Healthy in Older Years in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.