Senior healthcare services

Senior Healthcare Services People in America can expect to live longer than ever before. Once you make it to 65, the data suggest that you can live another 19.3 years, on average. For many, then, senior living includes carefully managing chronic conditions in order to stay healthy. Making healthy lifestyle choices, like quitting smoking and losing weight, can help you avoid senior health risks, though you also need to be physically active and eat a healthy diet. Including a geriatrician, a doctor who specializes in the health concerns of aging, on your senior healthcare team can help you learn how to live better with any chronic diseases. Then you too can be among the 41 percent of people over 65 who say their health is very good or excellent. Here are some of the most common senior healthcare services and concerns.

1. Chronic health conditions About 92 percent of seniors have at least one chronic disease and 77 percent have at least two.

Heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes are among the most common and costly chronic health conditions causing two-thirds of deaths each year. It is recommended to meet with a physician for an annual checkup, maintain a healthy diet and keep an exercise routine to help manage or prevent chronic diseases. Obesity is a growing problem among older adults and engaging in these lifestyle behaviors can help reduce obesity and associated chronic conditions.

2. Physical Activity and Nutrition Staying physically active can help prevent or delay certain diseases, including some cancers, heart disease and diabetes, and also relieve depression and improve mood in general. Inactivity often accompanies advancing age, but it doesn't have to. Check with your local churches or synagogues, and shopping malls for exercise and walking programs. Like exercise, eating habits are often not good if you live and eat alone. It's important to eat foods rich in nutrients and avoid the empty calories in candy and sweets.

3. Mental health According to the World Health Organization, about 15 percent of adults over the age of 60 suffer from a mental disorder. A common mental disorder among seniors is depression, occurring in seven percent of the elderly population. This mental disorder is often underdiagnosed or undertreated. Older adults account for over 18 percent of suicides deaths in the US. Because depression can be a side effect of chronic health conditions, managing those conditions help. Additionally, promoting a lifestyle of healthy living such as improvement of living conditions and social support from family, friends or support groups can help treat depression.

4. Overweight and Obesity Being overweight or obese increases your chances of dying from hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, dyslipidemia and endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

5. Physical injury Every 15 seconds, an older adult is admitted to the emergency room for a fall. A senior dies from falling every 29 minutes, making it the leading cause of injury among the elderly. Seniors are more susceptible to losing their balance, bruising and fracturing a bone. Two diseases that contribute to frailty are osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. However, falls are not inevitable. In many cases, they can be prevented through education, increased physical activity and practical modifications in the home.

Seniors frequently don't monitor their health as seriously as they should. While a shortage of geriatricians has been noted nationwide, there are many groups of geriatricians and geriatric specialists of any medical community in the country. Your access to health care is as important and many institutions are offering a menu of services at several hospital settings, and in your community.