Women are not only living longer today, but their quality of life has actually dramatically increased over the last 30 years. On average, women tend to live longer than men do. However, this does not mean that women are healthier than men.
Women often face more various chronic health conditions in their daily life, such as arthritis, high blood pressure and diabetes. We have seven tips to help encourage senior women in improving their health. To make these easier, we recommend to focus on one or two tips. You can start a new healthy habit today!
Tips for Senior Women’s Health
- Work your brain activity – You should make it a goal to challenge your brain to try new things. Mentally exercising your brain can reduce your chance of memory loss. Spend at least 20 minutes, three times a week, reading, playing board games, doing crossword puzzles and writing.
- Watch your alcohol and smoking – It is never too late to quit smoking. If you need assistance in how to quit smoking, speak with your healthcare provider. You should also watch your alcohol intake as it can have health problems with certain medications.
- Get vaccinated – Speak with your healthcare provider about getting vaccinated for illnesses such as shingles, the flu, tetanus and pneumonia.
- Take your medication and supplements consistently – You and your healthcare provider should be familiar about the medications that you take, including those over the counter.
- Lower your fall risk – You should be taking calcium and vitamin D daily. Your doctor will know how much of these supplements that you should be taking.
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet and exercise regularly – You and your doctor should be in agreement on what the best diet and exercise routine is for you. Physical exercise has many benefits. One form of exercise for senior adults is yoga. It can help improve coordination and balance.
- Have screenings – By getting screening tests, you can help diagnose certain health problems early. Talk with your doctor to see what health screenings are appropriate for you.
- Bone health – You can get screened for osteoporosis every two years.
- Blood pressure check – This should be checked annually.
- Diabetes check – This screening is especially important if you have high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol levels.
- Colorectal cancer – This is an important screening, but it is important you speak with your doctor first.
- Hearing and vision – This should be checked every year.
- Dental check-up – You should have your teeth cleaned annually and have your cavities checked. If you are wearing dentures, be sure to have them checked to ensure that they are fitting properly.
If you have various risk factors of certain diseases, take the preventative steps against those risks. Many times, a change in your diet or your lifestyle can make a dramatic difference in delaying or even preventing these conditions that you are at risk for. We give tips for improving your health, but we always recommend to speak with your medical provider about your health and any changes in your diet or lifestyle.