Preventive care Archive

Every second, someone age 65 or older suffers a fall, making it the No. 1 cause of injury-related death among this age group. The best way for older adults to protect themselves is to address the three main physical conditions that contribute to falls: weak stabilizer muscles, poor core strength, and balance issues. They can do this by improving their side-to-side motion through specific exercises and playing racquet sports, doing abdominal exercises, and practicing tai chi.

A 2022 study of 160,000 former smokers, followed for about 20 years, found that those who were the most diligent about living a healthy lifestyle had a 27% lower risk of dying during the study period, compared with those who didn't live a healthy lifestyle.

A 2022 study of 350,000 healthy people found no evidence that high levels of physical activity fully offset the harmful effects of a low-quality diet, or that a high-quality diet fully offsets a lack of exercise.

When navigating the health care system becomes challenging, a number of professionals can help. Some, such as home care aides or certified nursing assistants, can assist with errands such as getting to the doctor and picking up medications. Others, such as Aging Life Care Professionals or patient advocates, can develop and run a person's overall care plan, negotiate with insurance companies, arrange to pay medical bills, research treatment options, hire and manage home care helpers, and more.

Sitting too much is bad for health. But there are ways to make time spent seated a little healthier. For example, people can keep their brains active by reading, writing, doing a hobby (such as knitting), or playing an instrument. And people can exercise while in a seated position. It's possible to do an aerobic workout that gets the heart and lungs pumping, such as a seated dance routine or calisthenics, as well as muscle-strengthening activities or stretching exercises.

People with certain heart conditions, including a replaced or repaired heart valve, should take antibiotics before invasive dental procedures. This helps prevent endocarditis, a serious heart infection often caused by bacteria from the mouth.

Vegetable "steaks" made from sliced eggplant, cauliflower, squash, or other vegetables can provide a vegetarian option at holiday dinners. Top roasted vegetables with cheese, nuts, herbs, or sauce.

Dry-roasted assorted nuts are a heart-healthy alternative to traditional holiday sweets. They contain unsaturated fats that help lower harmful LDL cholesterol and inflammation—two key culprits in cardiovascular disease. Nuts are also a decent source of protein, which helps people feel full and may prevent overeating. They contain fiber (which may also reduce cholesterol and increase satiety) as well as several vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds that help counteract inflammation and oxidation, another artery-damaging process implicated in heart disease.

The routine yearly medical check-up is now more often referred to as the annual wellness visit, which allows people to formulate detailed health goals with their doctor and design plans to meet them, as well as assess the possibility of life-changing events, like heart attack, stroke, and cancer.

Unhealthy lifestyle habits, chronic diseases, and genetic conditions can damage the kidneys and reduce their ability to do their many jobs. But many precautions can help protect the kidneys. Examples include controlling diabetes; lowering high blood pressure; moderating intake of salt, alcohol, and protein; limiting intake of oxalate-rich foods such as spinach, almonds, or cashews; losing weight; stopping smoking; exercising regularly; staying hydrated; limiting the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); and getting annual kidney function tests.