7 April World Health Day and Senior Healthcare

April 7 is World Health Day. This day is a reason to have an overview of the aging process and the state of health and various prevalent diseases in the old age With the onset of aging, the health of the body will face many challenges. From bleaching hair to forgetfulness. Regard to the increasing number of elderly people in the world day by day, it is very important to understand the challenges they face.

With the knowledge of the common chronic diseases in old age, it may be possible to take smarter measures to deal with them. Older people often have to take multiple medications to control their illnesses because they are struggling with several chronic diseases at the same time, so they may suffer from the side effects of medications moreover, several medications may develop other illnesses or some other chronic illnesses. According to statistics, 92% of the elderly have at least one chronic disease and 77% have at least 2 chronic diseases. Heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes are among the most common and costly chronic health diseases.

The greatest risk to the elderly over the age of 65 is a risk of falls, although insignificant. As most older people suffer from osteoporosis, muscle weakness, and osteoarthritis, an insignificant fall can lead to serious injury or even death. They can be helped by increasing mobility and exercising by attending sports classes suitable for the elderly.

Obesity is also a growing problem among the elderly, and measures such as having a healthy diet and exercise and daily exercise program, as well as being monitored by doctors can help the elderly experience a healthier aging process. Another disease of the elderly that affects a large population in the world is dementia, the most common of which is Alzheimer's disease. Might be controlled and managed by doing mental exercises during the day.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 15% of adults over the age of 60 suffer from mental disorders. Depression is a common mental disorder in the elderly and occurs in seven percent of the elderly. Unfortunately, this mental disorder is often undiagnosed and untreated. Family support and early diagnosis and medication can help treat depression.

Another problem of aging is malnutrition in the elderly because many elderly people, especially those who live alone, due to inability to prepare their meals or due to loss of appetite regard to depression or even forgetting to eat meals due to Dementia is not properly nourished. In this case, getting help from other people to prepare food and include healthy foods in their diet will be very helpful. Sensory disorders such as decreased vision and hearing are also very common among the elderly, which fortunately can be easily treated with glasses and hearing aids.

Another problem that most older people face is oral disease, which unfortunately due to its high treatment costs, many older people ignore it, which causes swallowing problems. Most older people over the age of 65 need dentures, which governments must make decisions about, such as post-retirement dental insurance. These conditions can be controlled by performing regular dental examinations. Incontinence and constipation are both common in old age and can affect the quality of life of the elderly. To prevent them, older people should have a healthy diet and regular exercise program to maintain a healthy weight and prevent constipation or incontinence.