| Related sites for http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002459.html |
| Coping_with_Chronic_Illness Patient information publication of the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health (USA). | | Coping_with_Chronic_Illness An academic paper discusses illness in terms of stages, with a description of each in terms of its relevance to patients. | | Coping_with_Chronic_Illness The Fathers Network on how to deal with physical, emotional and spiritual aspects. Applies to anyone with a longterm disease. | | Coping_with_Chronic_Illness_and_Depression How to recognize depression and when to consult the doctor. [PDF] | | Coping_with_Long-term_Physical_Illness_and_Pain Short explanation to counselors on defense mechanisms and coping styles of patients. | | A_Day_in_a_Life_with_Chronic_Illness A personal account of daily events aims to promote better understanding. | | Diet,_Nutrition_and_the_Prevention_of_Chronic_Diseases Combined World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization expert report on prevention of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, dental diseases and osteoporosis. [PDF] | | Expert_Patients_Programme_for_Long-term_Patients Self-management course for confidence, skills and knowledge to manage chronic health conditions. Provides newsletter, explanation of program, people's views. | | Faced_with_a_Life_Threatening_Illness_ Questions, concerns and links provided by Australian Palliative Care Council. | | Family_Caregiver_Alliance National Center on Caregiving offers fact sheets, advice, research reports, public policy briefs, and newsletters. | | Guidance_for_People_Facing_Serious_Illness Handbook gives short, practical advice how to handle serious illness and dying. | | Health_Action_Network A volunteer non-profit organization helping to rehabilitate people with chronic mental or physical illness into the community. Includes details of training and resources. | | Household_Management_Questions_for_Others_with_Chronic_Illness Practical advice on adjusting expectations, cleaning, time management and recommended books. Short thread in The New Homemaker. | | Illness,__Disability_and_Social_Inclusion Evaluates policies on education, social security, employment, anti-discrimination, and independence. From the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. [PDF] | | Improving_Chronic_Illness_Care Research and resources, including a model to promote interaction between patient and care givers. Essential elements are the community, self-management support, decision support and clinical informati | | It\'s_Your_Life E-book on chronic disease management available for free online reading or download. | | Learning_to_Cope_with_Chronic_Illness Practical advice to patients and significant others. | | Learning_to_Live_with_a_Chronic_Condition Patient advice on communication with the health team, deciding on a treatment plan, and minimizing costs. From the Lifepath Information Series. | | Living_with_Chronic_Illness Personal advice on making adjustments and maintaining hope. | | Living_with_Chronic_Illness_and_Disease Personal perspective on living with chronic disease. Articles cover getting through each day, relaxations, tips, work, stories. | | Living_with_Chronic_Illness_and_Pain Explains how lifestyle changes can be effective in self-managing a condition. From Men's Health Peer Education. | | Living_with_Long_Term_Illness Tips and ideas on dealing with a chronic condition in daily life. Personal site. | | Managing_Long_Term_Conditions_(Chronic_Disease_Management) A National Primary and Care Trust Development Funds program aimed to produce personalized care plans involving all medical and associated disciplines. No longer updated, it still contains valuable inf | | Managing_your_Chronic_Illness British Columbia's patient information with links to programs. | | Next_steps_after_your_diagnosis__finding_information_and_support Consumer health information for people with a disease or chronic condition on how to obtain reliable treatment information by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (USA). | | Patient_Self-Management_-_Chronic_Disease_Care Overview of research and publications showing evidence patient self-management interventions lead to improved health status, increased patient satisfaction and reductions in hospital and emergency roo | | Poem,_Pain_Management,_Chronic_Illness Poem about coping with pain using relaxation and imagery. | | Preventing_Chronic_Disease__Public_Health_Research,_Practice_and_Policy A peer-reviewed Journal by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in the United States. Contains essays, original research, special topics, case studies. Also availabl | | Preventing_Disability_in_the_Elderly_With_Chronic_Disease Discusses outcome of patient self management program. Education and lifestyle changes improve health, preserve functions and reduce costs. Also in PDF (published in 2002). | | Report_of_the_Working_Group_on_Long-Term_Care US Department of Labor, Advisory Council Report to recommend policy changes and education on broad scope of findings. | | Stanford_Self-Management_Programs Center develops, evaluates, and disseminates community-based, peer-led, programs for people with all kinds of chronic diseases. Part of School of Medicine, Stanford University, California. | | Ten_Resolutions A psychologist offers strategies for dealing with painful illnesses. | | Ten_Steps_for_Coping_with_a_Chronic_Condition Harvard Health Publication Letter. Patient oriented advice. | | Yoga_For_Chronic_Illness Article explains how yoga helps to maintain and restore health by stretching and breathing. | | AMA__Diagnosis_and_Management_of_Foodborne_Illnesses Publication for health care professionals on the causes and treatments of foodborne illness. | | Ask_NOAH_About__Food_Poisoning Directory of annotated links. | | Bacteria_and_Foodborne_Illness Discusses the causes, risk factors, and complications associated with foodborne illness. Reviews treatment options and prevention strategies. | | Bacterial_Food_Poisoning Discusses the common bacterial agents and the symptoms and foods associated with each agent. | | The_Bad_Bug_Book This handbook provides basic facts regarding foodborne pathogenic microorganisms and natural toxins. Each chapter focuses on either one bacteria, virus, parasite, or natural toxin, providing basic fac | | BBC_Health_-_Food_Poisoning Short discussion of the causes, prevention, and treatments. |
|
H1 {font-size: 14px;}
P {font-size: 12px;}
Chronic Health Conditions Not a Barrier to Successful Aging
Search Articles: search tips
       
Please Take the HealthLink Survey
Email this article
Print this article
Find related articles:
By topic:
Senior HealthArthritisDiabetesCardiac/HeartBlood/Blood Pressure
By keywords:
Agingsenior healthchronic illness
Receive HealthLink via email!
Subscribe now>>
Chronic Health Conditions Not a Barrier to Successful Aging
Like highly engineered machines, our bodies generally remain healthier and in better working order when we take good care of them. But even with good care, humans and machines have a life cycle. The later years of that life cycle often find systems and parts are not working as well as they used to.
As the population ages, more of us do begin to develop some chronic illnesses - cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, or osteoporosis, osteoarthritis or dementia.
It's assumed that some of the wear and tear that comes with aging is inevitable and "normal," but that's not necessarily true in all cases, says Edith A. Burns, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics and Gerontology) at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is among a group of scientists who are researching the concept widely referred to in the profession as "successful aging." The term, which first appeared in 1961 in the premiere issue of The Gerontologist, has been used in many studies since. The term "successful ager" has been defined and redefined by scientists, and it can include factors like longevity, health, and happiness or satisfaction. It does not mean that you have to feel like you did when you were 30.
"You can be a 'successful ager' and still have chronic conditions like hypertension and osteoporosis that can be well tolerated with good management," Dr. Burns says.
"The likelihood of developing chronic conditions definitely increases with age," she says. "The arteries stiffen, which makes it more difficult for blood to circulate efficiently. So the incidence of hypertension and heart failure increases, simply because the cardiovascular system must work harder. Insulin sensitivity and production decreases, so diabetes becomes more prevalent. And bones become more brittle with aging, which is why we expect to see more osteoporosis, in both men as well as women, and osteoarthritis."
Osteoporosis
Typically, in discussions of osteoporosis and its diagnosis and treatment, much of the attention focuses on post-menopausal women, who lose bone density more rapidly as their estrogen hormone levels decrease. But men are affected, too, says Dr. Burns.
As one of the co-investigators of "Successful Aging," a study begun in 1993 through a National Institutes of Health grant, she and her colleagues followed 264 healthy men and women ranging in age from their mid-60s to early 70s. They were periodically tested for a variety of conditions including bone strength.
"We found the men in our study were actually losing bone density faster than women, and we're not sure why," she says. The finding was unexpected, she notes, because men's bones generally are stronger than women's, and a majority of the men under observation were taking adequate amounts of calcium, which ordinarily can slow down bone loss.
In October 2004, the US Surgeon General issued a first-ever report on bone health. It warned that by 2020, 50% of Americans age 50 and older will be at risk of fracturing a bone weakened by osteoporosis. It recommended that women over 65 and anyone who has had even a minor bone fracture over age 50 be tested for bone health.
Medicare covers part of the cost of bone density screening tests. These tests scan the heel, the wrists, the spine, or even the whole body to find weakened points or potential hairline fractures that might otherwise be undetectable. Men and women diagnosed with osteoporosis can prevent further bone loss and help prevent fractures through medications like Fosamax. They are strongly advised to engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day and get the recommended daily amounts of calcium and vitamin D from food or supplements. Other recommendations for bone health: stop smoking and consider weight-bearing exercise.
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, affecting more than 16 million Americans. This degenerative joint disease is common in people over 65. In addition to medications that reduce pain and inflammation, rheumatologists routinely advise a balance of physical activity and rest, according to FDA Consumer magazine. Exercise offers physical and psychological benefits that include improved overall fitness and well-being, increased mobility, and better sleep. Water exercises can often be well-tolerated by arthritis patients.
Diabetes
Dr. Burns currently is doing a series of studies involving self-management of chronic disease, predominantly diabetes.
"It does require good communication between patients and their physicians, and a willingness by the patient to do self-management," she says. "It's critically important for patients to know how and when to monitor their blood sugar and how to interpret their own symptoms. They need to understand the relationship between what they eat, their physical activity and their blood-sugar levels, and how and when to use their medications. If there's good self-management, they can enjoy active, engaged lives, despite their diabetes."
Sometimes, however, the communication between patient and health provider is inadequate. In her studies, Dr. Burns has observed that many patients check their blood sugar levels infrequently or, in some cases, not at all. In some cases, she fears, physicians assume patients fully understand the complex connection between food and medication and blood glucose levels, and they might not.
About 16 million people in the United States have diabetes, which is the main cause of kidney failure, limb amputations and new-onset blindness in s, as well as a major cause of heart disease and stroke. Type 2 diabetes (formerly called -onset diabetes) accounts for up to 95% of all diabetes cases. With the rapid increase of obesity during the past decade, Type 2 diabetes has begun showing up in younger s and even adolescents.
Hypertension
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute estimates that 29% of Americans - some 58 million of us - are living with high blood pressure, and require daily medications to control our disease. If left untreated, hypertension can lead to heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and other complications.
The Medical College, along with the University of South Carolina, did major work on trends in hypertension in America. Findings were published in 2003 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, recommending stricter guidelines for what's considered "normal" blood pressure.
The upper number in a blood pressure reading is called the systolic blood pressure, which measures the force of blood in the arteries as the heart beats. A systolic reading of between 120 and 139 is now regarded as pre-hypertensive, and a reading of 140 or more is considered high. The lower number measures diastolic pressure, or the force of blood in the arteries as the heart relaxes between beats. Diastolic pressure ranging from 80 to 89 is now classified as pre-hypertensive, and a reading above 90 is considered high. Both numbers are important, but for people who are 50 or older, systolic pressure is a stronger predictor of hypertension-related complications.
"Hypertension is definitely more prevalent and increases with age. Diastolic pressure tends to plateau after a certain age," says Dr. Burns.
Dementia
Even though dementia is not necessarily a normal part of aging, "there's no question age is the biggest risk factor for it," Dr. Burns says.
In addition to Alzheimer's disease - which is the most prevalent form of dementia, accounting for at least half of cases - dementia can also arise from vascular causes like uncontrolled hypertension and from alcohol abuse, or from a combination of these. Alzheimer's disease affects up to 4 million Americans - and untold millions of family members and others who care for them. Alzheimer's is a progressively worsening disease, but the rate of progression from mild to advanced can vary widely, from three years to 20 years. Once dementia is identified, its progress can sometimes be slowed through medication.
Good News About Aging
Growing old is not all deterioration and illness. In America and elsewhere, people are living healthy, productive lives through their 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond - and in numbers never before seen in recorded history. The longevity gap between men and women is closing.
Dr. Burns points to a series of landmark studies, the MacArthur Foundation's "Studies of Successful Aging," which suggest that loss of mental and physical function as we age can be delayed by developing a few good lifestyle habits.
"Keep active," she says. "Keep your mind and your body toned. Read, follow the news, do crossword puzzles, play cards. Walk more. People who walk three hours a week have lower rates of hospitalization, and lower rates of congestive heart failure. Physical exercise promotes vitality, mental sharpness, physical strength, balance, and overall wellness. Even if you've never exercised, it's not too late to start. You'll have more energy, be steadier on your feet and less likely to fall and, best of all - you will extend your useful life."
Barbara Abel
HealthLink Contributing Writer
Article Created: 2005-01-07Article Updated: 2005-01-07
MCW Health News presents up-to-date information on patient care and medical research by the physicians of the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Home | About HealthLink | Medical College of Wisconsin | ClinicLink Contact Information | Site Map | Disclaimer | Privacy | Copyright Notice © 2003-2008 Medical College of Wisconsin
|
|
