The Effects of Old Age on Health

Today I would like to tell you about the effects of old age on health. Actually today a lot of improvements have taken place in the care of old people and old people's health is not nearly so bad as it used to be.

Probably many of the fears that people have of growing old are greatly exaggerated. Most people, for example, dread becoming senile. But in fact very few people become senile. Perhaps only about 15% of those over 65 become senile. Actually much more common is in fact caused by doctors ourselves. And that is over-medication. Nearly 80% of people over 65 have at least one serious illness, such as high blood pressure, hearing difficulty or heart disease. And very often to combat these they take a number of drugs and of course sometimes there are interactions among those drugs. And this can cause a lot of complications from mental confusions, very commonly, to disturbance of the heart rhythm. So this is a problem that doctors have to watch out for.

Probably the most ignored disorder among old people is depression. Maybe about 15% of older people suffer from this condition. A lot of it is caused by this over-medication which we mentioned.

Although it is better now for old people, we have to admit that the body does change as we grow older. The immune system starts to decline and there are changes in metabolism, lungs, the senses, the brain and the skin.

So what should an old person do to counteract these changes?

He or she should eat a balanced diet—not too much fat—chicken or fish should be eaten rather than eggs or beef. Eat more high-fibre and vitamin-rich foods, such as vegetables and fruit.

The old person should give up smoking if he hasn't already done so. He should also do regular exercises—at least half an hour, three times a week. No section of the population can benefit more from exercise than the elderly.