What are the prevention and precautions for geriatric diseases?

The core logic of geriatric disease prevention is actually "early screening to catch signs, daily risk control, and symptomatic adjustment of habits." The vast majority of geriatric diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, do not cause obvious pain in the early stage. Intervention is carried out when obvious discomfort occurs. Most of them have already caused irreversible organ damage. The significance of early prevention and early control is far greater than treatment after the onset.

Downstairs, Uncle Zhang’s physical examination last year showed that his fasting blood sugar was 6.8, which is a critical high value. He always said that he could eat and sleep without any discomfort. He said that the physical examination was just a way for the hospital to make money. For more than half a year, he still drank strong tea every day. After another examination this year, he was directly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and he also suffered from mild microvascular disease. Now he doesn’t even dare to touch his favorite sweet and sour pork ribs. In fact, it is not superfluous to check routine items such as blood pressure, blood sugar, blood lipids, bone density, and carotid artery ultrasound once a year. In the five years I have been doing community chronic disease management, among the elderly people over the age of 70 that I have contacted, those who insist on regular physical examinations, even if minor problems are detected and intervened in a timely manner, their quality of life is several grades higher than those who just ignore it.

There is a lot of debate online now about whether the elderly should take health supplements. One group says that all health supplements are IQ tax, and as long as they eat well, they can get enough nutrients. The other group says that the digestive and absorption function of the elderly has deteriorated, and they must supplement various nutrients to prevent chronic diseases. In fact, there is no absolute right or wrong in clinical practice. The key is to first do a blood test to determine the deficiency. If you are deficient in vitamin D, just take ordinary vitamin D drops. If you are deficient in calcium, take calcium carbonate. You don't have to buy "complex anti-aging health products" that cost thousands of yuan. Aunt Li in the previous jurisdiction bought more than 10,000 yuan of "Vascular Scavenger" after listening to a health lecture. After taking it for three months, she found an abnormality in transaminase, and she slowly recovered after stopping.

In addition to the misunderstandings about screening and supplements, small habits in daily life are actually the most effective. Many elderly people eat plain porridge with pickles when they hear that they need to eat lightly. Instead, they eat malnutrition. During the community screening last year, several aunts were anemic. When asked, they were afraid of eating meat because of high blood lipids. In fact, they eat palms every day. A big piece of lean pork or fish, an egg, and a cup of warm milk are more effective than drinking plain porridge every day to stave off hunger. Salt intake should be controlled, but it is not completely forbidden to eat flavored foods. The amount of salt every day should be controlled to the amount of a beer cap. Pickles and pickles can satisfy your craving occasionally, but eating them every now and then will definitely cause problems. There are also many elderly people who have misunderstandings about "movement". They either think that when they get older, they should lie down and rest, and are not allowed to do any work, or they compare the number of steps with their old friends. They walk more than 20,000 steps a day and wear their knees so much that they can't walk before going to the hospital. In fact, there is no unified standard for how much or how little to move. I am used to walking and doing Tai Chi. It is perfectly fine to walk seven or eight thousand steps a day. If you don’t like to move, don’t force yourself. Walk around twice more every day when you go downstairs to throw out the garbage. Twenty minutes is better than sitting at home for a day. There is no need to compete with others for exercise. If your knee joints are worn out, you will only suffer.

Another point that is easily overlooked is the medicine box and medication habits at home. Many elderly people are reluctant to throw away expired medicines. They pile them up in the drawer and take one when they feel uncomfortable. Last month, Uncle Wang, who had high blood pressure, felt dizzy and randomly found an antihypertensive medicine to take. It turned out that it was half a year old and his blood pressure did not drop. When it came down, it soared to 180. In the middle of the night, I called 120 and was sent to the emergency room. Some elderly people felt that they had become dizzy recently and their blood sugar had stabilized, so they reduced the medicine or even stopped the medicine. This kind of fluctuation of blood pressure and blood sugar, which is slightly higher than always, can damage blood vessels. If you really want to adjust the medicine, you must ask the doctor first, don't adjust it by yourself.

In fact, geriatric diseases are really not that scary. To put it bluntly, after the body has been used for sixty or seventy years, parts will inevitably wear out. Eat more snacks at ordinary times, spend hundreds of dollars on physical examinations every year, and get timely treatment for minor problems, which is more effective than any expensive tonic.