9 Benefits of exercise for seniors
The benefits of exercise in disease prevention and progression cannot be overemphasized.
Regular physical activity and exercise can help manage or even prevent a variety of health problems in the elderly.
Heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, certain cancers, depression, and stroke are some of the common medical conditions in which routine physical activity and effective exercising may greatly benefit the patient.
Some of the numerous health benefits of exercise for seniors include:
- Weight maintenance and burning excess calories
- Improving the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol
- Building up physical endurance
- Optimizing the health of the heart, lung, and vascular system
- Better delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues
- Maintaining bone and muscle health
- Reducing fall risks and arthritis
- Mood enhancement
- Better sleep quality and duration
Regular exercise 3-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes is strongly advised for seniors. An effective exercise is one that would increase the heart rate adequately to about 75% of the maximum heart rate. A person's maximum heart rate is roughly calculated by subtracting age from the number 220.
Walking, swimming, and exercise machines are generally safe and can help achieve these goals. Balance exercises, flexibility exercises, and resistance exercises (weight lifting) can also be beneficial.
As a general precaution, if symptoms such as chest pain or tightness, shortness of breath, fainting, or dizziness occur during or after exercising, it is important for the individual to stop the exercise and notify their physician promptly.
What are some of the routine medical tests for seniors?
A wide range of screening and preventive measures are available and recommended for people over the age of 65. These guidelines follow the recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and are based on extensive clinical data.
The following lists some of the important preventive and screening measures for seniors.
- Influenza vaccination
- Pneumonia vaccination
- Vaccination against shingles (60 and older; some doctors recommend starting at age 50)
- Colon cancer screening for adults between ages 50 and 75 (younger starting age in high risk groups)
- Breast cancer screening with yearly mammogram for females between 40 and 75 (younger starting age for high risk groups)
- Prostate cancer screening with annual rectal exam and PSA (prostate sensitive antigen) in males above age 50
- Osteoporosis screening with bone density scan in women above age of 65
- Lipid disorder screening yearly for men above 35 and women above 45
- Diabetes screening in people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, or previous high blood sugar levels with or without symptoms of diabetes
- Blood pressure screening at least once a year
- Smoking cessation counseling
Other screening tests may be recommended by doctors are:
- vision and hearing exams
- skin cancer screening
- cardiac stress tests
- thyroid function tests
- mental status exam
- peripheral vascular disease screening
It is worth noting that even though these are general health maintenance guidelines, primary care doctors may draft an individualized plan for each person based on their personal history.
Many of these tests are recommended to be performed periodically. As people get older, the benefits of detecting certain diseases may diminish, obviating the need for further screening. Accordingly, the patient's primary physician may help guide patients with their decisions regarding recommended health screening tests.
Sometimes the possible risks associated with certain tests may outweigh the potential benefits. Therefore, there are times when the right decision for an individual is to not have further testing for certain conditions.