Preparing For The Health Implications of Aging

Written by Brooke Faulkner- Guest Contributor

As the Red Hot Mamas community is aware, the older you get, the more changes your body goes through. While menopause is primarily the focus of this website, the changes don’t stop there. An aging body means different health concerns then when you were younger, and it’s important to stay ahead of the curve on those. Everything starts with awareness, so when it comes to these common ailments, understanding what causes them and what prevention options you have is important.

Self-Care

All aspects of your healthcare are intertwined. For instance, eating well and not smoking have benefits for your eyes as well as help prevent the more obvious problems of bad cholesterol, weight gain, and cancer. Eat your greens, especially those vegetables containing lutein (spinach, broccoli and kale. Crunch on those carrots. Eating carrots can help you see in the dark.  The essential nutrient responsible is carotene which is turned into vitamin A by the liver. Vitamin A helps you see more effectively. Mangos and cabbage are also good sources of carotene. As you age, it becomes important to stay fit and watch your health, even more than when you were younger and in the best shape of your life, because your body has more reason to catch up.

See, our older bodies stop fighting disease and cancer the way they used to. They quite literally begin to degenerate, and due to changes in cell regeneration and anomalies unprepared for, it’s good to keep healthy. For some women, the age one reaches menopause at could be a good mile marker to start paying closer attention to their body and seeing doctors for more routine checkups.

Environment

Self-care is important, but there are external things that can affect your health. Those things can worsen as you get older and your body doesn’t fight disease off as easily. You will want to consider wearing gloves when doing household chores, or when dealing with potentially irritating substances. If you’re sensitive to latex, there are latex-free alternatives you are able to use.

Additionally, as previously mentioned, aging bodies aren’t as strong in fighting off cancer. It’s important to know where you may be more at risk. For instance, it’s important for everyone to wear sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. In addition, you should have your home inspected for asbestos. You may need to re-insulate your house with a substance that does not include asbestos, which can lead to mesothelioma.

With all of these things, it’s important to know where your local doctors are. They are involved in your environment closely and know what will be best for any local allergens or sicknesses going around that may cause you health issues. They are experts worth speaking with. And of course if you’re going through menopause and would like some loving arms around you, there may be a local Red Hot Mamas program in your area.

Legal

Frankly, affordable healthcare can become harder to come by as you get older and is something you’ll want to take care of earlier than later. Even with insurance, though, you can find yourself more or less left in the dark. Insurance companies love finding loopholes in the law or their own policies may even work against those who have health emergencies, which people are prone to more frequently as they get older. You can learn more about lawyers that help with this at The American Health Lawyers Association, and who knows – you may find someone who works for pro bono or is inexpensive that can help you.

When other life changes coincide with your aging body, it’s important to have a game plan you can fall back on. For instance, some men – believe it or not – have been known to leave their wives once they begin menopause. There are great divorce lawyers that also help women going through these struggles and are there to fight for you. You may be able to find one in your local area through a quick Google search, and hopefully you’ll find some honest testimonials and reviews of their services as well.

How have you handled getting older?