8 Tips That Are Good for The Elderly
8 Tips That Are Good for The Elderly. Body functions will decline as we age. The aging process generally starts with the appearance of wrinkles, then slowly the immune system begins to weaken, making it more susceptible to disease. However, you don’t need to worry because aging cannot be stopped but it can be slowed down. Even though you have entered your 60s, you can still live a healthy and fit life. Let’s follow these tips to maintain good health for the elderly.
good tips for older people
When you get older, it doesn’t mean you no longer need to pay attention to your health and mental condition. The reason is, that every human being has the right to have the opportunity to live healthy for a long time. This also applies to those of you who have entered old age.
As you age, you also experience various changes, both physically and mentally. Therefore, you may need to make lifestyle adjustments to maintain your health as an older person.
Proper lifestyle adjustments can also help you prevent serious diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. So, there are several ways that you can take care of your parents’ health, such as the following.
8 tips that are good for older people
Here are some lifestyle adjustments you can make to keep your parents healthy:
- Stay active
Entering old age, you may spend more time at home than doing outdoor activities. Actively moving and exercising can keep parents physically and mentally healthy.
Being active and exercising regularly not only keeps parents healthy but also increases life expectancy. Therefore, even though you have entered old age, it does not mean that you can stop being active.
In addition, exercising regularly can also help you avoid serious diseases and disabilities that usually only appear old. However, it is important to adjust the type and intensity of exercise to your body condition. Some of the benefits of exercise for the health of older people are:
Boosts immunity.
Increases the production of endorphins, which can reduce stress.
Keeps body weight normal.
Increases bone strength.Even exercise is good for the brain health of older people. As we get older, brain function declines, making it easier for older people to forget. Many diseases that attack the central nervous system develop, such as Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, or Parkinson’s disease.
The ideal exercise time for older people is 30 minutes a day, five days a week. You don’t need to do 30 minutes straight away but can break it down into two or three different times of the day.
Exercise options for older people
Swimming, dancing, brisk walking, and cycling can help keep the heart and lungs healthy.
Weight lifting, stair climbing, and squats can maintain muscle strength and bone density.
Balance exercises, to help the body stay balanced and not fall easily.
Yoga and stretching help your body become more flexible.Keeping your body active can slow down the aging process of brain cells and tissues while reducing the risk of brain diseases. In addition to exercise, older people can still be active by doing other activities, such as gardening, playing with grandchildren, or making crafts.
- Maintain ideal body weight
Did you know that being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing various serious diseases? This is also true for older people. Therefore, maintaining an ideal weight is also beneficial for improving the health of older people.
Overweight people usually have a greater risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, some cancers, sleep disorders, and osteoarthritis.
However, in older people, having a body weight below the normal limit is also not good. This is especially true for older women.
A body that is too thin in older people can be a symptom of a serious illness or a sign that the body is getting weaker. Therefore, you need to adjust your diet to maintain a normal weight, not too fat or too thin.
You can discuss this with your doctor to find out what your parents’ ideal weight is. In addition, consult how to manage your diet and activities that can help you lose or increase your weight as an elderly person.
- Eat healthy food
The next healthy lifestyle for parents is to get used to eating healthy foods so that parents’ health is maintained. Not only that, having a healthy and balanced diet is also good for maintaining health, increasing energy, and preventing diseases for parents.
A healthy diet for older people is low in saturated fat intake and high in fruit, vegetables, and fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products.
Not only that but to maintain your health as an elderly person, you should drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Apart from drinking mineral water, you can still consume tea, coffee, and fruit juice, as long as they don’t contain too much sugar. It is best to avoid drinks that are too cold and sweet.
To ensure that the food you consume is guaranteed, it is better to fill your spare time to make a healthy food menu as well as cook it yourself. Don’t forget to add spices to give flavor to the food you want to consume.
- Ensure you get enough rest
Quite a lot of older people start to experience sleep disorders, such as insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and frequent midnight awakenings. However, increasing age does not necessarily cause the risk of sleep disorders to increase.
Therefore, try to adopt healthy sleeping habits to ensure that you have adequate and quality sleep. This is certainly aimed at keeping your health as an elderly person maintained.
There are several things you can do to help you sleep well, including:
Turn off your television or various gadgets at least an hour before bedtime.
Avoid overly bright lights and use a low-wattage nightlight.
Ensure that your room has a low temperature, and is quiet and dark.
Avoid activities in the room, especially on the bed, such as working, watching television, or using laptops and smartphones. Use it only for sleeping so that the brain immediately sends a signal to sleep when you are on the bed.Avoid installing wall clocks or desk clocks in your room, as the light and sound can increase anxiety and make it difficult to sleep.
- Maintain good relationships with others
As we age, one of the challenges for parents is maintaining relationships or connections with others, especially peers. Many factors influence this, from retiring from work and suffering from serious illnesses to peers passing away one by one.
Establishing good relationships with others is one way to maintain the health of parents. Therefore, expand your connections with others. You can make friends and hang out with people who are your age or younger.
Try to socialize with many people, such as family members, and neighbors, or join various communities that suit your interests and talents so that you can get to know new people.
Making new acquaintances and establishing good relationships with them can help you avoid loneliness, mental disorders, or other difficulties that may come with age.
- Keeping your memory strong
Not only your body, but your brain also needs exercise to stay active. The goal is to keep your brain healthy and your memory strong.
Not only that, keeping your brain active is also beneficial for preventing cognitive decline and memory impairment in older people.
The more active you are, the more your brain sharpness and memory will improve. This is especially important for older people who find their jobs no longer challenging or those who are retired.
There are many activities you can do to train your memory and thinking skills, such as playing puzzles or crosswords in your spare time. Also, try to do a new and different activity every day.
You can also train your memory to stay strong by taking a different route on your morning walk, or even brushing your teeth with a different hand. Expanding the types of activities you do daily is a great way to help sharpen your memory, especially for older people.
- Get regular medical check-ups and take medication
Increasing age turns out to increase the risk of experiencing various diseases. No wonder older people are very vulnerable to various serious diseases. A common cause is a weakened immune system. Therefore, to maintain health, parents need to do regular check-ups with the doctor.
This is so that parents and other family members can regularly monitor their health conditions. That way, if certain symptoms appear, parents and families can immediately carry out further examinations or take action.
The longer a parent’s condition is diagnosed and treated, the worse their body condition will be. This, of course, can complicate the treatment plan.
During the treatment, you should record the progress of your parents’ health. In addition, routinely take medicine according to the doctor’s recommendations and prescriptions. If the medicine causes side effects, consult your doctor to replace it with another medicine.
- Live a happy life
According to Help Guide, one of the most overlooked recipes for healthy living for older people is to live a happy life. Find happiness in the little things that surround you. Be grateful for the people who care about you, as well as whatever conditions you are currently facing.
It may sound easy, but the changes in your life and the losses you experience can test you to the point where you forget what it feels like to be happy and grateful. The problem is, that getting too wrapped up in your sadness can lead to stress and depression.
Both of these have a high potential to affect physical and mental health. Therefore, living a happy and grateful life can help you keep your mind and heart calm. That way, you won’t get sad, stressed, and depressed easily, and your physical and mental health will be maintained.
