Chapter 4 Physical health and Well- Being
Life
is a balancing act and adjusting your nutrition and physical activity habits
can help you maintain long-term good health. Even as an older adult your body
is constantly changing yet small daily lifestyle habits can
positively influence changes that happen with aging. Getting older can
come with a variety of health challenges. But you can take action to maintain
good health and reduce your risk of disease and disability. Exercise, good
nutrition, regular health screenings, getting vaccines, having enough sleep,
and participating in activities you enjoy are just a few ways to promote
healthy aging.
For example, Medicare spending has grown about nine-fold in
the past 25 years, increasing from $37 billion in 1980 to $336 billion in 2005.
If left unchecked, health care spending will increase 25% by 2030, largely because
of the aging population. Chronic diseases disproportionately affect older
adults and are associated with disability, diminished quality of life, and
increased costs for health care and long-term care (Hillier & Barrow, 2011).
Today, about 80% of older adults have at
least one chronic condition, and 50% have at least two. These conditions can
cause years of pain and loss of function. Public health efforts can help Americans
avoid preventable illness and disability as they age.
Research has shown
that poor health is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Effective public
health strategies currently exist to help older adults remain independent
longer, improve their quality of life, and potentially delay the need for
long-term care. Experts disagree on whether we can expect further gains in
older Americans’ life expectancy in the 21st century. Some argue that life
expectancy cannot continue to increase unless there are dramatic, unforeseen
medical advances in preventing and treating major causes of death, such as
heart disease and cancer. Others argue that life expectancy will continue to
increase, since future seniors will benefit from continuing medical advances.
Hillier, S., & Barrow, G. (2011). Aging, the
individual, and society. (9th ed., pp. 3-28). California: WADSWORTH.
I liked how you provided all this information. You said some argue reasons of why we will not be able to increase life expectancy and I think it is a little bit of everything that helps us increase it. Medical advances have obviously changed our lives and I like to believe that this will continue to better our lives. On the other hand we do have to think about Medicare. Like you said medicare spending has grown in the last 25 years. If we can all just take better care of ourselves we can definitely have a shot in lowering that cost instead of increasing it more within the years to come. In the chapter the Power 9 Pyramid has many of good ways all of us can improve our aging and it starts with everyone around us. If one person is bettering there health and encourages another person to do the same we could easily find ourselves as a whole community fighting for better aging for us.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you have to balance your nutrition as well as the amount of exercise. This is the main way to take care of your body. This is hard though due to where we live, the cost of food, the fast pace lifestyles, and busy schedules. Spending just a little more time planning for what you will eat and when you will work out will benefit you greatly. All it takes is dedication and hard work to creates the healthy balance your body needs. I like how you mentioned the prices of medicare. It is outrageous how much money it costs, but with a little maintenance by society prices have a good chance of lowering. Thank you for bringing notice to the medicare side of physical health and well-being.
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