Patroclus The current consensus in the field of geriatric medicine and disease control in China is that the core essence of elderly health is to prioritize maintaining the ability to live independently rather than pursuing "complete disease-freeness". Nutritional reserves, moderate exercise, individualized chronic disease management, psychological adaptation, and social connection are the core supports. Don't reverse the priorities.
I met 72-year-old Aunt Zhang when I was doing a free health clinic for the elderly in the community. She has suffered from hypertension and diabetes for more than 20 years. She usually sticks to the target more strictly than anything else. She only eats less than half a bowl of rice at each meal. She can't wait to squeeze out the grams of oil and salt. She bought a lot of health products to supplement this and that. After a month of squatting down to pick up a vegetable that fell on the ground, I broke my femoral neck. When I was sent to the doctor, my skeletal muscle mass was 22% lower than that of a healthy elderly person of the same age. To put it bluntly, I was trying to control my hunger and muscle loss. Instead, I lost my core self-care ability. It was really like picking up sesame seeds and throwing away watermelons.
When it comes to this, we have to mention the controversy of "should the elderly rest or exercise" that many people are arguing about. Orthopedic surgeons usually recommend that elderly people with severe joint degeneration and osteoporosis should avoid climbing stairs and squatting and other weight-bearing movements for fear of aggravating joint wear or inducing fractures. Doctors in the geriatric rehabilitation department will emphasize that even elderly people in wheelchairs must insist on strength training of the upper limbs and core, otherwise their muscles will lose faster. In fact, both opinions are correct. The core is to "move in the right place." Uncle Li, whom I had contacted before, heard from a health-care account that "you can walk 10,000 steps a day to live to 99." He insisted on walking 15,000 steps a day. After walking for half a month, his knees were so painful that he could not get out of bed. Later, we adjusted his plan and walked slowly for 20 minutes three times a day. Zhong usually lifts two 500ml bottles of mineral water to practice arm strength while sitting, and practices sitting down and standing up three times a week. Now his knees no longer hurt. He has no problem buying groceries and cooking for his wife. He can even carry rice bags upstairs that he could not carry before.
What many people tend to overlook is that there has never been a unified "standard value" for chronic disease management. Many elderly people use the blood pressure and blood sugar standards of young people to standardize themselves, which is prone to problems. For example, for a 70-year-old who is usually in good health and has no underlying diseases, it is okay to control the blood pressure below 130/80mmHg. However, for an old man over 85 years old with a history of cerebral infarction, it is safer to control the blood pressure around 140/90mmHg. Otherwise, if the blood pressure is too low, the blood supply to the brain will be insufficient, and it will be easy to get dizzy and fall. There was an 86-year-old man who secretly took an extra antihypertensive drug just to lower his blood pressure to the "standard range". When he got up to go to the toilet, he felt dizzy and fell. He knocked his head and was hospitalized for more than half a month. The gain outweighed the loss.
Don't think that an elderly person is healthy if he can eat and walk. Mental state and social connection play a much greater role than many people think. There used to be a retired Mr. Wang. His children were afraid that something would happen to him when he went out, so they would not let him go out. They let him watch TV and walk at home every day. In just half a year, he showed signs of early cognitive decline, such as a significant decline in memory and a lack of talk. Later, the community reported him I started a goal team and practiced and played games with my old friends every day. I was also responsible for keeping score for the team. I took a cognitive test half a year later and my score went up by almost 20 points. My whole person's mental state was completely different. No matter how many brain supplements I took, it was more effective.
In fact, to put it bluntly, there is never a one-size-fits-all standard answer to elderly health. In the final analysis, all the core information is centered around "enabling the elderly to live comfortably and independently." Don't be misled by the messy health rumors on the Internet. Adjusting based on your own physical condition is better than anything else.
