Your health:
Healthy lifestyle: Ageing well
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| How many times have you heard someone say "It's just my age" when they're talking about their poor health? But according to Dr Sue Kurrle, a specialist in older people's health at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Health, many of these problems we blame on getting older are more to do with the way we live than our age. Following are some suggestions for improving your health outlook as you age. Putting on weightThis is not an inevitable part of ageing, stresses Dr Kurrle, but caused by doing less exercise and eating more. ‘Many people become less active as they get older because they think it’s the normal thing to do,’ she says. ‘Yet you still see people in their 70’s and 80’s in country areas who have stayed active and are still capable of hard physical work.’ Her advice? Walk regularly, find a gentle exercise class in your area (try the local Community Health Centre or Senior Citizens Group), or try swimming and aquarobics if you have arthritis or back pain. Keep doing things you enjoy that keep you active - dancing, cycling, sport, gardening, or taking care of grandchildren. Lack of energyBeing more active and eating a healthy, varied diet may be the answer. But low energy may also be a symptom - not of old age - but of other health problems. See a doctor if you are concerned about lack of energy. Aches and painsWhen a doctor told his 90 year old patient that the pain in his right knee was ‘just due to ageing’, the man replied, ‘But my left is the same age - why doesn’t it hurt too?’. Although pain may be a symptom of problems that are more common with age, it’s not a normal part of getting older and shouldn’t be ignored. Don’t put up with unexplained pain- talk to a doctor.
ConstipationExercise improves the way your whole body works - including your bowels. ‘Lying in bed or sitting in a chair for hours doesn’t help them at all,’ says Dr Kurrle, who also suggests drinking six glasses of water each day in addition to any drinks of tea or coffee. Food is important - eating mostly bread, pasta or rice and other grains, plus plenty of different vegetables and fruits will help constipation and keep weight under control. IncontinenceIncontinence can be prevented and treated. Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Health Service holds free incontinence clinics at the hospital. To make an appointment please call 9477 9514. If you would prefer to speak to someone in confidence about incontinence you can call Sally Shand on 9816 0550. Changes to the brainIt might take us longer to learn things as we get older - but when we learn them, we learn them just as well as when we were younger. There’s also a good reason to keep learning as you get older - staying active mentally may improve brain function. In her work with older people, Dr Kurrle meets many men and women who enjoy an active, fulfilling old age and says they usually have something in common - a positive attitude to life. ‘They look forward to things rather than spending a lot of time mulling over the past,’ she says. ‘They get pleasure from the things they do - even simple things like gardening.’ More details for the Rehabilitation and Aged Care Service of Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Health Service are available on this website. |
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