Keeping the body resilient in old age

Keeping the body resilient in old age

By Djoeweriah Poorwo S.

JAKARTA (JP): It's alarming how frequently elderly women slip
and fall. A bruised leg, shoulder or hip is unfortunate, but a
broken hip could be disastrous. The hip would have to be operated
on, and chances are in Indonesia the woman would be disabled
afterwards, relegated to a wheelchair. She would need continual
help, something most people hate the thought of.

Everyone falls occasionally, but who, where and how makes all
the difference when it come to injuries. Youngsters can trip and
bounce straight back without injury. Just watch how soccer
players gracefully take dives, roll about on the grass and then
get up effortlessly. Young people can take the pounding because
their muscles are still elastic and their bones still strong.

As the years pass it stands to reason that a great deal of
precious elasticity is lost. Our bones tend to dry out, too, due
to a continual loss of calcium. That's why bones get more fragile
and break more easily as we age, just like the difference between
a young, fresh branch of a tree and an old, dry one.

As women grow older, osteoporosis, a decrease in bone mass and
density, is a common problem. Recognized by Hippocrates;
osteoporosis is part of normal physical deterioration after the
age of 30, and accelerated in women at and after the onset of
menopause.

Prevention is better than cure. So what is the best way to
fight the reduction of bone density due to continual loss of
calcium?

Examining your diet is the best place to start. The quality of
your current body is greatly determined by the quality and
quantity of food intake, as well as other determiners like
heredity and the environment. A well-balanced diet is not only
essential in old age, but throughout life, and especially
childhood.

Other countries have introduced nutritional slogans like "The
5 Basic Food Groups" and even the "Basic 6". Indonesians hold on
to "4 sehat, 5 sempurna" (4 is healthy, 5 is perfect). The slogan
is meant to indicate, in a simple, visual fashion, how to compose
an affordable, healthy meal. Even Indonesia's numerous
illiterates can easily grasp the "4 sehat, 5 sempurna" poster, if
well explained.

The fifth item -- the item which makes the meal perfect -- is
milk. The elderly should drink lots of milk because it contains
the easily absorbed calcium needed to stem osteoporosis. The
elderly should also consume more fruit and green vegetables than
before to fulfill their need for more minerals and vitamins.

Keeping trim is also important in old age. According to Prof.
Chehab Rukmi Hilmi, an orthopedic surgeon in the Faculty of
Medicine at the University of Indonesia, overweight older women
tend to suffer from knee degeneration (Osteoarthritis genu). In
this case the knees have to bear more body weight than they can
take, which can lead to bowleggedness, or Deformitus farus. It
not only looks bad, but can lead to injurious falls.

There isn't much older people can do to protect themselves
from falling. Being constantly alert is the only defense. Some
advice would be:

When your grandson jumps down the stairs two at a time, you'd
better get hold of the handrail and walk down cautiously. Avoid
stairs, if you can help it.

In a strange house, pay special attention to the floor and
steps. You could easily stumble and fall. Walking on Jakarta's
pavements is disastrous at the best of times. You can
accidentally trip on a loose stone or tile or get a foot stranded
in a hole. If you feel a cane is necessary, don't hesitate to use
one. It might prove helpful.

The bathroom is where frequently accidents occur, some fatal.
Bathroom floors in Indonesia are usually left wet and slippery by
the last bather. So be sure to keep the floor of your bathroom
clean and dry. Keep the door unlocked while inside, just in case.

Exercising regularly certainly helps loosen stiff muscles, and
might prevent a fall. Enrolling in an aerobics class, although a
good idea, isn't necessary. Just doing some simple exercises at
home, on your bed or on the floor, can make a difference. Sway
your arms, do some pedaling with your legs on the bed or walk on
your toes. Ask your family doctor what light exercises you should
do.

Make it a rule to take a good, deep breath regularly to keep
your lungs healthy. Go for a swim or a walk. Whatever you choose,
do it regularly. Sports is not the monopoly of youngsters. Older
people need to exercise to stay fit and keep muscles and bones
healthy.