Smart Ageing
Article contributed by:
Raffles Medical Group
Quiz: How Well are You
Ageing?
Are you ageing smartly?
How well are you ageing?
Take this quiz to find
out.
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Physical
Well-being
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I get less than
30 minutes of
physical
activity on most
days. |
True / False |
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I had a fall or
sustained an
injury in the
last three
months.
|
True/
False |
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I feel tired
most of the
time.
|
True / False |
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I feel bored
most of the time
and have little
social
activities.
|
True / False |
|
Emotional
Well-being
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I have not kept
in touch with
close friends in
the last two
weeks.
|
True / False
|
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I do not know
who I can share
my problems
with.
|
True / False |
|
I feel
alone/sad/depressed/moody.
|
True / False |
|
I flared up at
someone earlier
this week and am
regretting it.
|
True / False |
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Diet & Self Care
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My intake of
meats is much
higher than my
greens.
|
True / False |
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I eat out more
than five times
each week.
|
True / False |
|
My family and
friends have
commented about
my body odour.
|
True / False |
|
I have not seen
my doctor for my
annual check up.
|
True / False |
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Aspiration
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My day-to-day
concerns take up
most of my time.
I do not have
time to guide
and care for
others.
|
True / False |
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I haven’t had
time to pursue
my passions for
a long while.
|
True / False |
|
I am too old to
have dreams and
aspirations.
|
True / False |
|
I have very
little savings
and should a
medical need
arise, I am
financially
dependent on my
children.
|
True / False
|
How you scored
If you answer True
to any of the statements
in the category above.
Read on about how you
can improve your quality
of life with tips from
our panels of experts.
Return
to Top
Physical Well-being
Exercise
The importance of
regular exercise cannot
be stressed further.
Studies have shown that
regular exercise
benefits both mental and
cardiovascular health.
“Continuous aerobic
exercises (e.g. cycling,
swimming and brisk
walking) are suitable
for older people,” said
Dr Teo Sek Khee, a
Geriatrician, and
Consultant at Raffles
Internal Medicine
Centre. “Special
strength building
exercises will also help
if you have particular
problems such as spine
or knee pains.”
Risk Of Falling
Falls, especially in the
elderly, usually
indicates a health
problem. According to Dr
Teo, falls in the
elderly can be due to
multiple factors.
The factors may be
environmental (e.g.
slippery floor, poor
lighting and cluttered
furniture) or they may
be intrinsic to the
patient (e.g. poor
vision, poor balance,
arthritis, weak muscles
and neurological
conditions). It
may also be related to
the drugs that the
elderly is consuming
such as sleeping
tablets,
anti-hypertension
medications,
anti-depressants or over
the counter medicines.
An approach to reducing
falls would involve a
consultation with the
doctor to review all the
medications that the
patient is taking
(including over the
counter medications) and
performing thorough
examination. Some
laboratory tests may be
necessary to rule out
anaemia or infections.
State Of Mind
Lethargy is a common
complaint amongst older
people. However,
do not take it too
lightly as it may be an
indication of certain
health problems.
Dr Teo said that the
root cause could be
stress, depression,
anaemia, hormonal
imbalance or lack of
exercises.
Therefore, if you are
constantly feeling
tired, you should take
the time to evaluate
your lifestyle and diet.
“Ensure that you have
enough rest and fresh
food. If these do not
make you feel better,
you should consult a
doctor,” advised Dr Teo
Social Life
Boredom and social
seclusion can be bad for
mental health as studies
have shown that social
interaction and
activities prevents
depression and dementia.
The lack of social
activities may cause one
to fall into a state of
boredom. This can
gradually escalate into
bigger health issues.
Therefore, keep yourself
active socially!
Widen your circle of
friends and indulge in a
hobby or interest. It is
never too late to pick
up a past-time.
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Emotional Well-being
Relationships
Friendships are an
important component in
any person’s life.
You may want to explore
what your definitions
and requirements of a
“close” friend are.
According to Mr Danny
Ng, a counsellor at
Raffles Counselling
Centre, meaningful
relationships do not
necessarily need
constant and active
communication.
“Some of the “best
friends” that we have
often come from
significant interactions
and experiences from our
past. As we move
along life’s journey,
our groups of friends
will change according to
the social settings that
we are placed into.”
Confidante
“Sharing one’s inner
feelings is one of the
more difficult things to
do in life,” said Mr Ng.
“Many people find it
difficult to express
their true inner
feelings to others.
This is normal and will
need time and positive
encounters to nurture
into one’s social
interactions.”
Three key-factors must
be present for one to
“bare their soul”.
The first is obviously
the social environment
that the person may be
placed into or external
viability. We
inevitably feel more
comfortable with some
people than with others.
The second is the
content of information
that is desired to be
disclosed, or content
vulnerability.
Obviously, the more
personal and intimate
the details, the less
likely one will be able
to divulge this openly
and the external
viability will also be
greatly reduced.
The last factor is that
of the personality
traits of the desired
communicator. For
instance, if the person
is highly introverted
and shy, it would be
more difficult for this
person to share his/her
feelings and thoughts.
Hence, external
viability, content
vulnerability and
personality traits
interact together in the
successful transmission
of personal sharing of
our intimate feelings.
Depression
The worst thing that can
happen to you is getting
more depressed over your
current depressed state
thereby spiraling
yourself into a state of
helplessness. Try
to think happy or
positive thoughts.
Avoid withdrawing from
the community and learn
to interact and reach
out to others even
though you may not feel
like it. If there
is a specific issue or
problem that may have
triggered this
depression, get help to
deal with this problem.
Finally, if you find it
too difficult to “pull”
yourself out of this
depressed state, you
should seek professional
help and assessment by a
psychologist or
psychiatrist.
Depression is a widely
used term with a great
degree of understanding
and interpretation.
The degree and
prevalence of depression
is more important and we
need to be able to
differentiate the “type”
of depression one is
expressing.
Firstly, we need to be
able to manage the
severity of the
depression. Secondly, we
need to be able to
identify if there are
natural triggers for the
depression. Thirdly, we
also need to ascertain
the length of time one
has felt depressed.
Finally, we will need to
measure how
incapacitating the state
of depression is to
one’s normal daily
function and routine.
Anger
Anger is another area
that can ruin your day
and relationships.
However, you can have
better control over it.
According to Mr Ng, you
can play back the
incident(s) which caused
you to lose your cool.
Try to identify “themes’
that caused you to feel
tense and angry.
If you can identify
these trigger points,
you may be able to get
to the root of your own
internal struggles that
may need to be resolved.
This statement
acknowledges two
components. One
that the person did lose
control of emotions and
had negatively expressed
it in the form of anger.
The second more
important indication
here is the
acknowledgement and
insights that is
expressed by his/her
regret. This sense
of remorse is good and
necessary for change in
behaviour.
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Diet & Self Care
Dietary Intake
Healthy eating is
important throughout our
life not only when we
become older or have any
medical condition that
warrants dietary
modification! However,
many of us do not pay
attention to our health
until we reach middle
age and beyond.
As we grow older, your
body becomes less
forgiving, and we may
need to make more of an
effort to eat well and
stay fit. Vegetables are
important sources of
vitamins and minerals.
Vegetables also provide
fibre, an important
nutrient for a good
digestive system.
“One must include at
least two to three
servings of vegetables
per day. Meat is an
important source of
protein in the diet,
however, including fatty
meat on a regular basis
may lead to weight gain
and increased blood
lipids. One needs
to include two to three
serves of protein per
day,” said Nehal Kamdor,
a dietician at
Raffles Internal
Medicine Centre.
It is also important to
include at least one
serving of vegetable
protein like tahu/tofu/
tempeh/beans/lentils per
day to reduce the fat
content of the diet.
Fish, especially oily
fish like tuna, mackeral,
salmon etc is a healthy
alternative to red meat.
It also contains omega 3
which protects the
heart.
Planning Your Meals
As we age, there is an
increasing need to watch
our diets more closely
than before. Our diet
may be restricted due to
our health conditions.
As an example, people
who have high blood
pressure should not be
indulging in foods that
are high in salt.
The Health Promotion
Board recommends
lowering our salt intake
to less than one
teaspoon per day.
Foods from resturants
and hawker centres are
generally higher in
salt.
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• One serving of vegetables = 3/4 cup of cooked vegetables • One serving of protein = 1 palm sized piece of lean meat/fish or chicken |
|
"While it is more
convenient to eat out,
it is harder for you to
watch your diet.
This is because we have
more control in the use
of ingredients when we
cook ourselves.
You are also more likely
to be tempted by food
you should not be eating
when you eat out due to
the wide variety
available," said Ms
Kamdar.
It is thus important for
you to plan your meal.
"Buying ingredients that
make up a healthy meal
will ensure that you
stick to your diet
plans. Try not to
eat out more than twice
a week and always choose
a resturant/food centre
where you can request
for less salt to be
added! If you have
to eat out, you need to
practise discipline and
not be tempted into
eating something that
you know you should be
abstaining from," Ms
Kamdar advised. It
is also important to
learn to read the food
labels so that when you
are shopping at the
supermarket you will be
better at looking out
for hidden sources of
salt!
Personal Hygiene
Is it really true that
the elderly tend to have
a kind of body odour due
to their age?
According to Dr Teo, the
answer is a firm 'No'.
"Body odour does not
have a special
predilection for the
elderly. It arises
due to apocrine
secretions from certain
glands in the arm pits,"
said Dr Tea.
Since age is not a
factor, do something
about the problem if you
have it. As with
people of all ages,
regular body hygiene
will help to reduce body
odour. Deodorants
may also mask the
problem.
Annual Medical Check-up
Many of us put off
visiting a doctor till
we exhibit symptoms of
being ill. However, a
regular check-up with
the doctor is advisable
once you are in your
late 40’s. This is
largely because silent
diseases such as
hypertension and
hypercholsterolaemia
tend to be present at
this time.
You should also go for
health screening every
year. Regular
health-screening and
medical check-ups help
in early detection and
management of illnesses.
Timely intervention in
the form of treatment
can save your life!
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Aspirations
Mentoring
The life lessons you
have gained over the
years are valuable.
By pouring your
experience into a
younger person’s life,
you can make an impact
to the next generation
and do things you were
not able to accomplish
in your own life through
another.
To allow you to do so,
Mr Ng said, “it will be
good to take stock of
your own life and “weed”
out what is necessary
and important from your
responsibilities and
routine.
Time-management is
easily understood but
practically, difficult
to enforce. Try to
find what may be
fulfilling for you and
see if your
responsibilities and
constraints allow you to
pursue meaningful goals
such as mentoring.”
The balance between
work, family,
recreation, personal
solitude, rest and
exercise is very
difficult to achieve.
Some people may not even
have the opportunity to
consider some of these
aspects as work and/or
family may dominate
most, if not all, their
time and resources.
Hobby
Just like mentoring,
having a hobby helps you
build depth in
character. It
could be something
simple, e.g. sports or
cooking. You can learn
life skills through
these activities.
If you are struggling
with this, Mr Ng has
this advice for you.
“Ask yourself: WHY? Do
you have a choice?
If so, then what kind of
“trade-offs” are you
willing to make for this
to be possible. If
you feel that you do not
have much of a choice,
then try to find ways to
cope with the pressures
that you are facing.”
Dreams
If you think age would
rob you of your dreams
and aspirations, you
will never be able to
achieve them.
Remember - one is NEVER
too old to have dreams
and aspirations!
“However, you need to
temper your aspirations
with some down-to-earth
reality checks.”
Said Mr Ng, “for
instance desiring to
train for the Olympic
games and coming out
first in the 100m race
is likely to be close to
impossible as we age.”
Set realistic
expectations and goals
and learn to be content
with what we have and
who we are, this is a
very important outlook
for healthy emotional
and psychological
ageing.
Health financing
As one age, health
problems become more of
a reality.
However, you can have
enough to pay for your
healthcare needs.
Mr Steven Tan, Sales and
Marketing Manager,
International Medical
Insurers has this to
share with those who are
worried about healthcare
financing in their
golden year: A
“Hospitalisation shield
plan is a must since you
have little savings to
cover your medical
expenses. The
premium could be paid
from your children’s
Medisave account.
By getting an additional
rider, any deductible
and co-insurance of the
hospitalisation bills
could also be covered.
In this way, you do not
have to worry should a
medical need arise.”
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Article contributed by:
Raffles Medical Group
Dated: June 2011
|
Raffles
Medical
Group is
a leading
medical
group and
the largest
private
group
practice in
Singapore.
As a fully
integrated
healthcare
organisation,
the Group
owns and
operates a
network of
family
medicine
clinics, a
tertiary
care private
hospital,
insurance
services and
a consumer
healthcare
division.
Patients of
the Group
enjoy a
continuum of
care, from
having their
most basic
healthcare
needs met
through the
Group’s
islandwide
network of
Raffles
Medical
clinics, to
specialist
and tertiary
care at
Raffles
Hospital. |
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