Those Pesky Preexisting Conditions

It’s the middle of May and most states are stopping the ‘stay at home’ orders because of COVID-19. Some believe it is too soon, and we will see another spike in numbers of infections. Others don’t. And frankly, it doesn’t matter what you think or believe, the infection rate will increase if people are infected and they come in contact with others, that is, if they ignore the social distancing advice. Furthermore, people with certain health conditions are at significantly higher risk than the rest of the population.

What are those preexisting conditions? The big ones most experts agree on are diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure/heart disease and lung/respiratory disease. People in these high risk categories already have a major assault on their immune systems, that’s what a ‘preexisting condition’ is. The immune system is necessary to fight off infection, and it is losing the battle for good health even before COVID-19 hits.

In layman/woman’s terms, your immune system is a group of biological structures and processes in your body that protect you from disease. It’s not just one thing; it’s a group of many that is referred to as a system. AARP Bulletin recently published an article about the aging immune system, and we highly recommend you read it.

As we age, the immune system naturally doesn’t work as well; there is research evidence that our senior bodies just don’t produce as many immune cells as they did when we were younger.

There is a lot of chatter on social information sites about whether or not the Presidential Election will be held this fall (November 3, 2020). Some of the chatter has even made the main-line news. So let’s see if we can set this matter straight.

Federal law requires the election day for president is the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November. The Constitution Center says this about federal presidential elections: “In general, a combination of state or congressional actions (italics added) could delay elections but not postpone the selection of a president and vice president. The only hard deadline spelled out in the Constitution is the end of a president’s term and a vice president’s term on January 20 of the year following a general election.”

We are still in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Even though some state governors are deciding to permit certain businesses to open. And the results are somewhat disturbing. The incidence of the virus is increasing again, skyrocketing in some states, and the death rate has gone back up again… that skyrocket thing. The facts suggest giving up social distancing at this point isn’t such a good idea. So what does this have to do with resources?

It’s simply an example of why it is a good idea to support your actions with science, facts and research… not caving in to special economic interests in order to preserve votes for the next election. Where can you find science, facts and research?

Staying mentally and physically healthy as we seniors age requires maintaining social contacts with friends and family. They can’t always visit us, so we need to have the option of traveling to see them. It might just be on the other side of town, or it might be in the next county or state. Whatever the distance, we need transportation; we need to maintain the option of being mobile.

The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) reports “…nearly 90% of older adults choose to age in place in their communities.” There is a domino-effect here… in order to live successfully in our own homes and/or communities, we must have accessible transportation so we can get to the medical and support services we need. Further, the NADTC says, “While the health impact of reduced access to needed medical services is obvious (missed appointments, emergency hospital visits, lack of continual care), social isolation due to lack of transportation can have an equally negative effect on health and mental health.” If we lose access to reliable and affordable transportation, we face nursing home and assisted living care.

Personal Help With Fitness

This question arose recently in a discussion with some close senior friends. We were on a ZOOM call, still in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, with no end in sight. We were talking about our health issues, including how to get enough exercise when we couldnt go to our favorite gym. My sister and I had a personal trainer, until COVID19. We couldn’t continue because the gym closed.

We all know, or have been learning about, the close relationship between physical health and mental health. We know good physical health, including exercising is essential to maintain good mental health. It’s also just good common sense.

And we don’t have to be planning to enter a competitive event to make use of a personal trainer. So why work with a PT if you are a senior citizen, not an Olympic athlete? We discovered there are several reasons.

Physical Activity=Good Health

Research is now saying that being physically active can slow the onset of dementia, like Alzheimer’s disease. USNews and World Report recently reported on a study conducted at Columbia University; Dr. Yian Gu was the lead researcher, and said, “We recently published a paper using information of both current and past physical activity and found they both are associated with lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The current study is a step further to show that physical activity is also protective against brain volume loss.”

Studies over the past few decades have shown an association between physical activity and good health, both physical and mental. Recent studies are more conclusive, although Dr. Gu gave a word of caution. She said the study in question shows a relationship that is not causative; that is, the research does not prove physical activity causes good health, only that there is a relationship between the two.

Why Seniors Need Others

Seniors, indeed all human beings, need social relationships to remain healthy emotionally as well as physically. We know that anecdotally, and research has also shown that to be the case. When social needs are not satisfied, both mental and physical health problems result. As the senior population increases, the need for us to be healthy and enjoy life also increases.

Researchgate.net found there are four themes in studies of seniors and their social needs: diversity, proximity, meaning of the relationship and reciprocity. So what are those four themes?