my country's population over the age of 60 exceeds 260 million, of which 55.83% are aged 60 to 69
How many thresholds need to be crossed for "active health" for young elderly people?
Our reporter Ji Wei
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Young people aged 60 to 69 account for more than half of the population over 60 years old. Guiding young people to do health management is conducive to improving the overall health of the elderly.
Experts said that the elderly should establish a positive outlook on old age, and promote health and longevity through exercise, weight control, active participation in community activities, and learning.
"We are an aging society dominated by young people, which means that these elderly people have just retired, and they have a stronger desire to complete their life goals and even contribute to society, which requires a healthy body and living conditions as the foundation. "Recently at the 2022 National Elderly Health Promotion Week, Wu Yushao, deputy dean of Fudan University's Institute of Aging and former deputy director of the National Aging Office, emphasized that the "14th Five-Year Plan for National Health" pointed out that it is necessary to improve the active health of the elderly. Ability, it is necessary to establish the concept of healthy aging and active aging, and move the health barrier forward to the young and elderly.
my country has entered a process of rapid aging.
During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the number of elderly people in my country increased by more than 13 million, but during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, experts predict that the number of elderly people in my country will increase by more than 57 million, and the total number will exceed 300 million.
Data from the seventh census in 2020 shows that there are more than 260 million people in my country over the age of 60, of which young people between the ages of 60 and 69 account for 55.83% of the elderly population.
Younger people are more obese, and 4 types of people don’t pay attention to health or don’t pay enough attention
Liu Xiaohong, director of the Department of Geriatrics at Peking Union Medical College Hospital and vice-chairman of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association's Geriatrics Branch, reminded that the obesity rate of young people is now higher than before, which will lead to an increase in diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
So these people have to control their weight and exercise.
"In the community, some young elderly people pay great attention to their health and return to the clinic on time, while some elderly people do not pay attention or pay enough attention to it." Ge Caiying, chief physician of the general department of Beijing Fangzhuang Community Health Service Center, told reporters that some elderly people I have never used a medical insurance card, do not see a doctor, do not check, and of course do not know my blood lipids and blood sugar.
Ge Caiying added that some elderly people know that they are ill, but feel that the symptoms are not that severe, and stop taking the medicine when the symptoms disappear, or stop the medicine as soon as the blood pressure and blood sugar are monitored to normal.
"There are others who think that they are healthy now, and that the medicine is three-point poisonous, so they don't take medicine when they know they are sick."
In fact, with age, the body's physiological metabolic function and immune function gradually decline, poor nutritional status, low immunity and other factors lead to the elderly often suffering from a variety of chronic diseases.
More than 78% of the elderly in my country suffer from one or more chronic diseases, and the total number exceeds 200 million.
"With the increase in life expectancy and the increase in the proportion of the elderly population, the disease spectrum has changed significantly, and people's most important disease burden is changing from acute infectious diseases to chronic non-communicable diseases." Liu Weilin, president of the Chinese Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics, said in 2022 It was pointed out at the 12th China Chronic Disease Management Conference in 2019 that how to solve the problem of unhealthy longevity and make plans for retirement, health and wealth in advance is a test of the times that every family and everyone must face.
Nutrition and activity are very important to maintain the functional status of the elderly
When it comes to chronic diseases, the reporter found in interviews that some young elderly people say that they are all sick.
Liu Xiaohong said that in fact, these elderly people have many mild fatty liver and chronic gastritis, which do not need to be dealt with without affecting the individual.
Chronic diseases, she said, are diseases that have morphological and functional effects over a year and affect individuals and require medical intervention.
There is no cure for chronic diseases, the main thing is to stabilize the condition.
Most chronic diseases are chronic non-communicable, age-related diseases, also known as geriatric diseases.
Therefore, Liu Xiaohong believes that the purpose of elderly health is not to cure the disease but to stabilize the disease, but to maintain the physical function of the elderly so that they can do what they want to do. Therefore, nutrition and activities and maintaining inner capabilities are very important.
The main reasons for malnutrition in the elderly are the decline of digestive function, the slowing of gastrointestinal motility, and the increased consumption of chronic diseases, such as inflammatory diseases and acute diseases, and the amount of nutrients needed during the recovery period will increase.
Thus, aging and disease overlap and can exacerbate malnutrition in older adults.
Malnutrition means that the food we eat does not match our consumption. There are two types of malnutrition: overnutrition and undernutrition.
Liu Xiaohong introduced that malnutrition usually refers to insufficient nutrition and lack of micronutrients. For example, the northwest region eats less vegetables and fruits, and the B vitamins will be deficient. In some places, the elderly eat less red meat and have unbalanced nutrition.
A positive view of the life of the elderly, non-medical means are very important
Being deceived and eating the wrong health care products, thinking about being healthy but not knowing how to be healthy, is the reality of most elderly people.
Wu Yushao believes that to integrate the active aging concept into the whole process of elderly health, we must take a more positive view of aging, the life of the elderly, and the elderly.
"The active concept of old-age care is to have the pursuit, dream and planning of old-age care. In the future, the old-age care for the elderly is not impossible, but unexpected." Wu Yushao emphasized that to have an independent self-improvement concept, one of the five principles of the elderly One is independence, so the elderly should maintain as much independence as possible in all aspects of property, residence and life.
The World Health Organization proposes the concept of "active aging" from the three dimensions of "health, participation and security". In my country, the concept of "active aging" has risen to the level of national strategy. Participation is the most important aspect of elderly health, especially the concept of active aging. elements.
There is a folk mantra, old age, old age, old age, work and work, the more you work, the more you work, this is participation.
A large number of studies have shown that there is a positive relationship between the active participation of the elderly and their health. The more they participate in economic and social development, the more active they are in the community, the better the health of these elderly people. The less involved they are, the better they are at home. Older people may be in poorer health.
"Learning is also the best way for the elderly to live in the future. Compared with beds in nursing homes, a seat in a university for the elderly is a more economical, practical and positive choice." Wu Yushao emphasized that medical care is very important for the health of the elderly, but non-medical Mentality, positive view of old age, positive view of disease, positive view of old age, these positive views on aging are also very important to the health of the elderly.