old folks health ncpa - 1

As the human body gets older, many of its systems begin to slowly break down, and this leads to a higher risk of developing chronic health conditions. Research shows that you’re more at-risk of a chronic health condition when you reach the age of 65, but what conditions should you be worried about the most? 

According to a study from the National Council on Aging, the following five health conditions are the most common for this section of the population. 

Hypertension

A remarkable 61% of adults in the 65+ age bracket will develop hypertension at some point. Known more commonly as high blood pressure, this is easily the most common chronic health condition for elderly people. What’s interesting about this is that it doesn’t seem to correlate towards that many further health problems, potentially suggesting that people develop high blood pressure but then find ways to manage it. 

The best way to prevent high blood pressure is by maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress, and limiting salt consumption. As explained by The Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at Greater Pittsburgh, hypertension treatment is also possible through medication management and nutrition counseling. 

So, it’s an issue many people above the age of 65 tend to develop, but it’s also one of the most treatable conditions on the list. Failure to treat hypertension can lead to more aggressive health problems developing, such as heart attack and stroke. 

High cholesterol

High blood pressure is closely followed by high cholesterol, which affects 55% of older adults. High cholesterol refers to a problem where your body has too many bad fats inside, and these fats clog up your arteries. In essence, it makes the walls of the arteries slimmer, which prevents the heart from pumping blood around the body as effectively. When left untreated it can cause heart disease and death. 

Must like hypertension, high cholesterol is usuall caused by a lack of physical activity, being overweight, and making poor dietary choices. This also means that you can treat high cholesterol by altering your diet and lifestyle. Certain foods are designed to help lower your cholesterol while physical activity is an absolute must. 

Arthritis

Arthritis affects just over 50% of adults aged 65 or older, which may seem a bit lower than expected. When someone suffers from arthritis, they develop inflammation in certain joins, which can lead to chronic pain, stiffness, and a lack of mobility. Like all the conditions on this list, it’s something that anyone of any age can develop, though it’s far more common in the older population. 

Why? Because you’ve already put your body through decades of use, and this means that the cartilage around your bones has worn down and weakened. It leaves less protection near the joints and can cause more impact to go through the bones and tendons, leading to inflammation. As well as this, your body normally produces synovial fluid to lubricate its joints, but your production of this declines when you get older. You end up in a situation where your joints aren’t getting the lubrication they need, leading to a lot of rubbing and inflammation. 

Arthritis development may also be linked to the fourth condition on this list, and it’s a rather debilitating condition. Even mild arthritis can cause daily problems for someone in their senior years by making it hard to do things like walk around the house, raise their arms up high, pick up shopping, etc. It’s also not something that’s easy to treat, though you can prevent arthritis while you’re young by exercising regularly, performing mobility work to keep your joints moving smoothly, and avoiding high-impact sports that damage your joints. 

Obesity

Again, the general population also suffers from obesity at an alarming rate, and 40% of adults 65 or older live with it. As everyone is aware, obesity is a chronic disease where you are excessively overweight, and your body contains too much fat. It is linked to over 200 additional health problems and can result in an early death if not treated. 

Older people may be more likely to develop obesity for a couple of reasons: 

  • Poor dietary choices while young

  • A lack of physical activity

Many people who are 65 now grew up in a generation without access to great nutritional guidance or support. They ate things that were terrible for them and caused them to gain a lot of weight while younger, and they never recovered from it. Likewise, as you get older, you lose energy and don’t feel as motivated to exercise. You become more sedentary, which means you gain more weight. 

 

Obesity is highly treatable and may require surgical procedures to get you down to a healthier weight before you start to exercise. From there, it’s a simple case of sticking to a workout plan and eating a balanced diet that allows your body to enter a calorie deficit. Through hard work and dedication, most people can reverse obesity and return to a healthier weight. 

Diabetes

Diabetes becomes more common as you get older because the human body struggles to regulate blood sugar as effectively as it once did. Your cells are likely to become more resistant to insulin, which then causes high blood sugar and Type 2 diabetes. Older people are also (typically) less physically active and see a decline in muscle mass, both of which can prevent their bodies from regulating blood sugar levels naturally. 

The good news is that there are treatments for diabetes, and you can prevent it by being more active, building muscle, and avoiding foods that cause blood sugar spikes. 

Looking at the most common chronic health conditions for adults aged 65 and over, it’s clear that there’s one underlying theme: staying active and exercising regularly is good for your health and can prevent a lot of these problems. It’s also worth pointing out that this doesn’t look at mental health and the impact it has when you’re older. Many individuals may argue that mental health problems like anxiety and depression are a more common chronic health condition that elderly people have to deal with.