Muscles tend to lose strength, stamina and flexibility. That, in turn, can affect coordination, stability and balance. These changes increase the risk of falls. With age, bones tend to shrink in size and density. Age-related bone changes can also cause you to go a little lower.
If you fall with weaker bones, you're more likely to break a bone. Common conditions in old age include hearing loss, cataracts and refractive defects, back and neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression, and dementia. As people age, they are more likely to have several conditions at the same time. Older adults should do some form of physical activity every day.
It can help improve your health and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Older adults are at greater risk of chronic health problems, such as diabetes, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease. In addition, 1 in 4 older adults falls each year, and falls are the leading cause of injuries in this age group.2 Physical activity can help older adults prevent both chronic diseases and fall-related injuries.
Old age is also characterized by the onset of several complex health conditions, commonly called geriatric syndromes.
For example, healthy older adults may forget familiar names or words, or they may have a harder time multitasking.If people can live these extra years of life in good health and if they live in a supportive environment, their ability to do the things they value will be a little different from that of a younger person. To get health benefits from strength exercises, you should do them to the point where you need to rest a bit before repeating the activity. Some estimates suggest that about half of the physical decline associated with old age may be due to a lack of physical activity. A large part is due to people's physical and social environments and the impact of these environments on their opportunities and health-related behavior. Maintaining healthy behaviors throughout life, in particular following a balanced diet, regular physical activity and abstaining from smoking, contribute to reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases, improving physical and mental capacity and delaying dependence on care.
The United Nations Decade for Healthy Ageing is a global collaboration that brings together governments, civil society, international organizations, professionals, the academic world, the media and the private sector for 10 years of concerted, catalytic and collaborative action to promote a longer and healthier life. Pre-exercise evaluationThe external link is used to identify people with medical conditions that may put them at greater risk of suffering a health problem during physical activity. But do you know how aging will affect your teeth, your heart and your sexuality? Find out what changes you can expect as you age and how to promote good health at any age. In these situations, it's best to consult closely with your doctor, physical therapist or health professional to design an exercise program that is healthy and safe. While some of the variations in the health of older people are genetic, most are due to people's physical and social environment, including their homes, neighborhoods, and communities, as well as their personal characteristics, such as gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.
When developing a public health response to aging, it is important not only to consider individual and environmental approaches that ameliorate losses associated with old age, but also those that can reinforce recovery, adaptation, and psychosocial growth. Some older people have chronic conditions (such as severe arthritis, osteoporosis, or advanced cardiovascular disease) that limit their options of physical activities.
