2023-09-03 20:58:25
03/09/2023
Old age is a natural stage that we will all reach in healthy conditions. The body begins to change, it weakens and there must be more care. But in addition, the body begins to take its toll from carelessness with health. And to this is added something else: life expectancy in the world is increasing more and more. At this time the world average is between 70 and 73 years.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the number of people aged 60 or over is increasing in all populations. In 2019, there were 1 billion people aged 60, and the number will increase to 1.4 billion by 2030 and 2.1 billion by 2050. Life expectancy is growing at an unprecedented rate, particularly in developing countries.
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In Colombia, it is estimated that the population over 60 years of age will reach between 23 and 28% by the year 2050, which shows an aging trend. This stage is complex on many occasions, because the body is weaker and there is a greater tendency to loneliness.
“In old age there are more chronic diseases that are going to intensify and that are more prevalent in society. Joint and cognitive problems. For example, in Colombia there are 10% of people with dementia, some 250,000 Colombians and that will multiply by 2030. There are also mental health problems, loneliness, apathy and the impossibility of connecting with other people”, explained the Spanish Gorka Orive, PhD in Pharmacy from the University of the Basque Country and researcher on aging and Alzheimer’s.
Despite this, the expert assures that old age does not have to be a passive period, on the contrary, there must be proactivity, learning new things and doing what makes you feel good. All this, according to the capabilities of each person.
In addition, he alerted young people to start taking care of themselves and attacking those factors that could prevent them from having a healthy old age.
“The great demons that are chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, dementia, obesity and diabetes, will intensify because young people are not taking enough care of themselves. In addition, climate change is also impacting people’s health; the heat causes more illnesses or medical emergencies. There is also an emergency with mental health, as we get older, we are going to live longer and many people are going to live it in solitude”, added Gorka.
The expert advises people over the age of 30 to start rethinking some habits in their lives in order to reach a healthy old age. Among them, improving relationships with others: “People who are lonelier, who connect less socially in general, live worse, have more disease burden and die earlier,” Gorka said. These are some recommendations for healthy aging.
1. Avoid risk factors that are within our reach: avoid alcohol, cigarettes, psychoactive substances, unhealthy food that causes obesity, diabetes and other diseases that can threaten health.
2. Fight against a sedentary lifestyle: According to the expert, you can always do something to move more. You can climb stairs, walk and do physical exercise. Everything within the possibilities of each one.
3. Have a good diet: eat fruits and vegetables and thus combat obesity and overweight that are linked to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
4. Resist loneliness and create connections: Creating social connections with other people is linked to promoting cognitive development and mental dexterity. The mind must also exercise.
5. Visit the doctor: prevention is an ally to stay healthy. Have an adequate diagnostic and therapeutic approach. “The sooner we know of a disease, the better the results may be,” said the doctor.
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