The division of old and young by age does not accurately reflect the biological process. There are cases where people are old but still look young and healthy. On the contrary, there are also people who are not old but already show signs of aging. Therefore, the division by age is only approximate and has relative value.
From 60 years old onwards, the signs of aging are clearer and increase over time. The World Health Organization arranges the ages as follows:
- From 45-59 years old: middle-aged people
- From 60-74 years old: old people
- From 75-90 years old: old people
- Over 90 years old: long-lived old people.
Thus, from 60 years old and above, people are considered old people (now we use the term elderly). Aging is a natural phenomenon that follows an objective cycle and law. Therefore, old age is inevitable, but we can slow down the aging process to achieve optimal old age.
To slow down aging and increase vitality for old age, exercise and health care will help the body to be flexible, strong, and easily adapt to adverse conditions, preventing some diseases such as stroke, coronary artery disease by self-monitoring blood pressure and following a moderate, reasonable diet.
Old age, the body weakens, resistance decreases, and often suffers from many diseases due to aging organs and body parts, but the aging rate is different, so the manifestation of disease in the elderly is often not typical. In the elderly, the boundary between physiology (natural aging process) and pathology is often unclear, so regular health check-ups or when there are unusual symptoms, it is necessary to go to the doctor immediately. Self-training, care and health protection are valuable longevity and quality of life enhancers for the elderly. Here are 10 health care contents for the elderly:
- Need to know your health status and health reserve.
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social comfort, not just the absence of disease or injury. Need to know how to assess health, the more health, the less chance of developing disease and vice versa. The concept of health is the concept of quality standards that are assessed as normal through examination and test results such as: body temperature, blood sugar, red blood cell count…
The more methods of measuring and determining different indicators, the more accurate the assessment of health. The above normal indicators cannot be said to be the peak of health, those are only normal indicators under normal external conditions. When external conditions change, the body must adapt, this adaptation requires health reserve. If health reserve is poor, disease will arise.
Thus, the health regulations expressed by normal indicators are clearly inadequate. The scientific concept of health must also be understood in terms of quantity.
The quantity of health can be defined as: “The total reserves” of the body’s functional system. These reserve forces are expressed through the reserve coefficient, which is the maximum number of functions that are mobilized in an abnormal state. For example: Normal cardiac output is 4-5 liters/minute. When having to exercise heavily, it can reach 20 liters/minute.
The total reserve force is not only the most important characteristic of health status, but also determines the body’s relationship to disease. For example: an athlete may have a fever of 400 C, the oxygen demand of the tissue increases 2 times. But their heart can withstand 4 times more. Thus, their health is 2 times higher than that of normal people in this respect.
Old age: the functions of cells decrease with age, obviously due to the accumulation of obstacles. And the reserve health decreases. The reserve health of the elderly needs the most attention is the heart and blood pressure (BP). So when there is left chest pain with suspicion of myocardial ischemia, an electrocardiogram must be done immediately and if the electrocardiogram is normal many times, an exercise electrocardiogram must be done. That is a form of assessing the reserve health of the heart. For blood pressure, it is not only necessary at normal times but also when it is stressed. Monitoring blood pressure at home can provide valuable information to help with initial diagnosis and treatment in patients with hypertension. Everyone needs to know their health and a part of their reserve health for their lifestyle and exercise.
- Exercise is a way to save health throughout life.
Advances in science and technology have changed people’s lifestyles as well as their characteristics and relationships with nature. The drastic decrease in biologically active activities that are necessary for humans has led to metabolic disorders in the body, causing poor oxygen supply to the brain, threatening “biological degeneration”. In developed countries, machines have replaced manual labor, thus causing diseases due to lack of physical exercise. Diseases in developed countries appear more and more such as cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, joint diseases…
To avoid degeneration and these diseases, we need to exercise. But how to exercise