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Everyone would agree that maintaining strong and healthy teeth is important, but without professional, routine dental care, that might be difficult. Proper dental care doesn’t only ensure a pretty smile and a mouth full of teeth to eat whatever you want, it’s also vital for your overall health.  A lack of routine dental care can lead to tooth decay, painful toothaches, gum disease, tooth loss, and even more serious health problems. As we age, these issues become even more important to address. Many seniors who…

Medical professionals and researchers say that staying active throughout life can help people prevent heart disease and diabetes, delay the onset of dementia, and provide many other benefits for health. Not only that, but seniors who get regular physical exercise also improve their strength and flexibility lowering their risk of falling; plus they maintain social engagement avoiding loneliness, depression, and isolation.  Getting enough quality physical activity after retirement isn’t easy for everyone but signing up for a gym membership can get you headed on the…

If conversations are sounding muffled and unclear to you lately, you aren’t alone. In the U.S., one out of every three people between 65 and 74 experience diminished hearing. Hearing loss at this age is typically due to aging, illness, or injury.  Your hearing loss might not be a direct threat to your physical health, but it can affect your mental health and quality of life. Many seniors say that they feel isolated, depressed, and have lower self-esteem due to hearing loss.  Although you can’t…

After retirement, millions of seniors plan to remain independent and live on their own for the rest of their lives. But because aging isn’t always a smooth process, it can bring changes like reduced vision and hearing, loss of muscle strength, decreased mobility, and an increased risk of falling for many of the elderly. You don’t have to give up your dream of living in your own home alone, even if you are experiencing some age-related changes. Today, you can have people come into your…

Foot care is often overlooked when it comes to overall health maintenance, but healthy feet can play a major role in your mobility. Injuries to your feet can leave you unable to walk, and conditions like diabetes may lead to foot pain and more serious health concerns.  Injuries, inflammation, or irritation on your feet can be uncomfortable, but without proper care, sores may lead to serious infections. While a primary care physician is usually your first point of contact regarding injuries to the feet or illnesses…

Cataracts are a common vision problem faced by seniors, but left untreated, cataracts have the potential to lead to total blindness. Many seniors don’t notice cataract symptoms at first. This is because they typically come on gradually and only really begin to affect vision once a cataract has progressed to a more serious state. What is a cataract? The formation of a cataract is due to the breakdown of certain proteins and other microscopic tissue in the lens of the eye. As this process continues,…

Erectile dysfunction is a condition that affects men of all ages, and it can have a variety of causes. As men age, however, the odds of suffering from some form of erectile dysfunction go up, and until relatively recently, there weren’t many options for treating this condition. This all changed in 1996 when pharmaceutical company Pfizer created Viagra (sildenafil citrate). The drug was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration in 1998, and since then, it has been widely prescribed to assist men who experience…

For millions of people in the United States, obesity is a serious health problem. For many, dieting and exercise don’t result in the weight loss they need to live a healthier life.  If you are obese and diet and exercise aren’t helping you lose weight, and you’ve exhausted other weight loss methods, your health care provider may suggest that you have some type of bariatric surgery. Weight loss surgery, such as a gastric bypass, can change your digestive system and boost your ability to lose…

Getting an annual physical is a great idea for everyone, but even more so for seniors. Yearly visits to your physician can help identify and treat health issues and keep track of your overall well-being.  During an annual exam, your primary care provider can assess your overall health through blood tests and screenings like those for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, and osteoporosis. Your physician can also make sure your vaccines are up to date, screen for different types of cancer, make any necessary changes…

LASIK stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileuses. It’s a fancy name for laser refractive surgery, a procedure used to improve eyesight and replace the need for wearing corrective lenses.  A special laser changes the shape of the eye’s cornea to improve vision during the LASIK surgical procedure. Eyes that have normal vision have corneas that refract light properly to the back of the eye. People who are nearsighted, farsighted, or who have astigmatism have corneas that bend light incorrectly, making vision blurry.  For those with…