Healthy aging at any age

Healthy aging is the process of maintaining good physical, mental, and social health and well-being as we grow older. It is not just for older adults. It starts at any age. There are key areas of health that can help you stay strong and healthy throughout your life.

What you can do

Healthy aging means adopting healthy habits and making positive lifestyle choices that contribute to our health and well-being as we age. These habits may include:

Nutrition. Maintain a healthy, balanced diet.

Physical activity. Keep your body active by doing regular exercise.

Mental functioning: Keep your mind stimulated and get enough sleep.

Social well-being: Stay socially connected and engaged with others.

Emotional well-being: Take care of your emotional well-being, including managing stress, having a positive outlook, and seeking support when needed.

Injury prevention: Try to avoid falls and other injuries by taking precautions and practicing safe driving.

Health care routine: Keep up with regular health checkups, vaccines, and screenings; and manage any chronic conditions.

CDC offers information and programs to promote healthy aging and longer lives at https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/prevention/.

Preventing Chronic Disease: What You Can Do Now

Most chronic diseases are caused by a short list of risk factors: tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use.

By avoiding these risks and getting good preventive care, you can improve your chance of staying well, feeling good, and living longer.

According to the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, six in ten Americans live with at least one chronic disease. Chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke, cancer, and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S.

Taking care of your cognitive health—the ability to clearly think, learn, and remember—becomes more important as we age. Many older adults experience some types of changes in memory and thinking. Research shows that staying active, eating healthy, and learning new skills may help keep older adults cognitively healthy. Some suggestions:

• Eat and drink healthy

• Move more, sit less

• Don’t use tobacco

• Get regular check-ups

• Know your family history

• Be aware of changes in brain health

• Ask your health-care provider about a vaccine for COVID-19, pneumonia and shingles

• Be mindful of your sleep patterns

• Talk to your health-care provider about your mental health

• Stay connected and manage your stress with activities, hobbies and social interactions

• Consider a medical alert system for your home and a wearable bracelet or pendant

Medical Alert Awareness

Eighty-six percent of medical alert system users say the devices have helped save them from an incident.

Medical alert systems, also known as a personal emergency response system (PERS), help connect users with emergency assistance in situations when they need it most.

As more seniors choose to age in place, live independently, and lead an active lifestyle, safety precautions such as a medical alert system can help alleviate worry and provide health and safety monitoring for vulnerable adults — and their family and friends from a distance.

The Department of Health and Human Services reports that the average cost of a nursing home is $225 a day (or more), and daily costs in the Las Vegas vicinity for assisted living are generally around $124, adult day health care is roughly $87 a day, and home health aides can run $162 a day.

Forbes, AARP, and SeniorLiving.org provide comprehensive comparisons and evaluations of medical alert system providers, wearables, and other in-home systems, including monthly costs, GPS, Bluetooth and connection types, coverage range, warranty and guarantee info.