Top Ten Most Common Senior Health Issues
Many people have had health problems that they believe nobody else has had. Others may perceive that everyone has probably experienced what they have. While there may be some truth to both of them, no two bodies are exactly alike and that is what makes the topic of health and healthcare so intricate sometimes. What works for one person may not work for another. For example, some have a faster metabolism than others meaning that they may be able to eat more foods that are high in calories and not face the same effects as others. That is why side effects are generally subjective to a lot of different products relating to health.
But today, we are going to be looking at senior health problems so people can be informed and stay in-the-know whenever it comes to this important topic.
According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, the top 10 most common health issues for seniors are:
(Not in any particular order)
- Overweight and Obesity
- Physical Activity and Nutrition
- Tobacco
- Substance Abuse
- Injury and Violence
- Enviornmental Quality
- Access to Health Care
- Immunization
- Mental Health
- HIV/AIDS
Notice a pattern? Multiple of these go back to choices that we make every day and do not even think about how this can affect us down the line. This is not blaming anyone explicitly for problems that they have now or potential problems they will have when they become a senior, because there can very much be other contributing factors that can cause problems, but there are certainly personal choices and habits that can be changed in order to help yourself out. Let’s go over a few of them.
The first two (physical activity and nutrition, and overweight and obesity) usually are grouped together, and while many times they can be separate issues, it is safe to say that nutrition and physical activity play a big role in BMI and weight. If someone gets too little exercise and has poor nutrition, then they can be more at-risk for being overweight or being considered “Obese.” It has always been recommended to eat healthy, and that is where the saying “Eat your vegetables if you want to grow big and strong!” came from. Nutrition is a very important part of life, and it is arguably one of the most important things to consume not only if you are a senior, but also if you are pretty much anyone. If you do not believe how beneficial nutrition really is, then take it from Harvard Medical School! According to Harvard Health Publishing – Harvard Medical School, “Proper nutrition helps keep energy levels up and protects against many age-related illnesses and diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.” (Harvard) This is especially important for seniors as they may not be able to exercise like they once could, so if you are not able to exercise then nutrition is one of the best ways to help yourself in living a healthier life!
The harmful effects that come out of using tobacco have been known for a while now however, tobacco is very addictive and hard for many to quit. If you didn’t come out of an older generation then it is easy to judge someone for continuously using something that is bad for their health, but some people from that generation have been smoking since before they were 18. If you had been doing something that long, and in many cases designated times in your life to do this as you generally have to make a consistent effort to do this, it would be very hard to change one of your longest lasting routines ever.
According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, substance abuse (which is commonly referring to drugs and alcohol) is an area that is not commonly associated with seniors, but more-so college aged kids or younger people, but those are certainly not the only people who do it. Seniors may self-medicate using legal and illegal drugs and alcohol. This can lead to serious health problems, not just for seniors, but really for anyone as you could get yourself spiraling into an addiction which can completely alter your life, and you could potentially lose everything. They may also purposely or unknowingly mix medications and alcohol. URMC also says that due to stereotypes about seniors, many medical people do not ask seniors about possible substance abuse, so the problem can be suppressed and not be dealt with as easily.
Health problems can be scary to talk about, but sometimes things just have to be talked about and discussed for other things to get better or at least head in the right direction. This information is very important, and we hope that this will be seen as helpful to some people out there!
Sources:
University of Rochester Medical Center
- University of Rochester Medical Center. “Top 10 Most Common Health Issues.” Rochester.edu, University of Rochester Medical Center Rochester, NY, 2024, www.urmc.rochester.edu/senior-health/common-issues/top-ten. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Harvard Health Publishing-Harvard Medical School
- Harvard Health Publishing. “Nutrition – Harvard Health.” Harvard Health, Harvard Health, 31 Jan. 2023, www.health.harvard.edu/topics/nutrition. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.