If you have an elderly in the family, you would be worrying about their general well-being as they grow older. Aging often increases the risks of getting chronic illnesses like dementia, cancer, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Fortunately, maintaining and adapting some key behaviors may help the elderly live a healthier and longer life. As a loved one, it would be best to encourage the following healthy behaviors to ensure the elderly live a healthier lifestyle:
1. Take Good Care of the Eyes
Most people visit their dentists, mental health specialists, and primary care doctors regularly but fail to take care of their eyes, especially when they don’t use corrective lenses.
Ideally, seniors must have their eyes checked so as to avoid eye illnesses like low vision, dry eyes, glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration.
Whether the elderly are outdoors, at home, or work, they should also take preventive measures to protect their eyes. This may include wearing sunglasses to protect their eyes against UV rays.
2. Stop Smoking
This is one of the most important steps for seniors to improve their health and combat the aging process. Smoking often kills by resulting in heart failure, stroke, and cancer. In men, it may cause erectile dysfunction because of excessive wrinkling and atherosclerosis.
One way to stop smoking is to switch to vaping. According to health experts, switching to the best disposable vapes for the elderly can significantly minimize the risks of toxin exposure that may result in stroke, heart attack, lung disease, and cancer.
3. Eat Healthy Food
Maintaining a very healthy diet is important to lead a healthy lifestyle. The digestive system often slows down as one ages, so it is important to incorporate food with high fiber and vitamins, like whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Adding fiber to senior’s food helps to lower the risks of getting major health issues, such as heart disease and stroke.
4. Encourage Being Physically Active
Although lethargy and fatigue are all signs of aging, seniors must know that not exercising can be very detrimental when it comes to their overall health. It may affect their joints’ flexibility.
Regular activities or exercises, like gardening, stretching, or walking, can be very helpful for the senior’s body. Practicing yoga, too, may greatly improve the overall health and muscle tone of the senior.
5. Get Enough Sleep and Rest
Waking up while feeling rejuvenated and refreshed can allow seniors to use their energy to do things actively in the daytime. They can also engage much better in their daily activities and even sleep better the following night, and in overall, their energy level increases.
Deep sleep and dreams are also crucial for the proper functioning of the brain to create links and memories. Therefore, quality sleep often plays an important role in ensuring seniors process and remember things better.
It is very easy to blame fatigue or low mood on aging. However, aging mightn’t be the direct reason for those woes. Feeling depressed or exhausted constantly isn’t a normal thing at any age. If your loved one loses the desire to engage in daily activities, it would be best to take them to the doctor for assessment.