Transcription:
Geriatric Health & Tips for Aging

Cheryl Martin (Host): It's a reality, all of us are getting older every day, and the number of older adults here in the United States is on the rise. Making up more than 16% of the population, 53 million, and by 2040, that number is expected to reach 81 million. Now there's a much greater focus on geriatric care. We'll get some great tips for aging well from Dr. Michelle Annabi-Rabadi. She specializes in Internal Medicine at St. John's Riverside Hospital, and she's completing a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine.

This is Riverside Radio HealthCast, the podcast from St. John's Riverside Hospital. I'm Cheryl Martin. Dr. Annabi-Rabadi talk about the increased risk of certain chronic diseases as we age.

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: Hi. Thank you so much for having me here today. This is actually quite a great topic, and as you said, you know what? People around the world are living older and older now, and so therefore we're seeing that there is an increased risk of having these chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, but many others in older adults. And not only that, it's actually quite common. Around 80% of adults greater than 65 years old in the US, actually have one chronic illness, and around 68% have two or more. Now, this is quite significant.

The real question that we have to say is like, why, why is this happening? And some of this has to do with the way that our bodies grow. Meaning that as we get older, our heart and our blood vessels, they just don't pump as well. They don't work as well. This leads to increased risk of multiple diseases such as cardiovascular disease, which is like a heart and blood vessel disease. And so it's so important for us to take care of this and it really leads to the question what could we do, especially since cardiovascular disease is so scary and can lead to hospitalizations and deaths.

Host: So what are some of those tips for healthy aging?

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: So when we say the term healthy aging, there are actually three main things that we like to follow. One, avoiding disease and disease related disabilities. Two, preserving physical and cognitive functions. And three, maintaining engagement. One of the goals of any physician is to reduce a period of time in which anybody has to deal with any functional decline, meaning the inability to carry out any day-to-day activity and to reduce the amount of time that one is suffering with a chronic disease.

What we do know is that by adopting a positive, healthy lifestyle, it can increase longevity, decrease chronic diseases and improve quality of life. These lifestyle factors can account for a 10 year difference in life expectancy, which is really awesome, and it's really encouraging to know that, okay, by eating healthy, by losing weight if needed, by staying physically active, by not smoking, that we can not only reduce our risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, but also cancer. So this is really positive and can really lead to healthy aging.

Host: That's great. And so really by changing your lifestyle if needed in terms of diet and weight and exercise, can make a big difference.

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: Oh yes, of course.

Host: Now many older adults Doctor, are worried about getting dementia or Alzheimer's, and so while there's no cure as of yet, is there anything that we can do to decrease the chances of getting them?

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: We know that the development of dementia is a process that can actually start 20 years before it becomes clinically obvious. And so, like you said, there is no treatment that's likely to be effective at this time, and so our main and most important approach is by prevention. Dementia appears to be a result of three things. One, genes, two, age and three lifestyle. Two of the three we can't change, but as we touched on earlier, the third thing, lifestyle, is something that we can do. So by eating healthy, by exercising, this can reduce brain breakdown, reduce inflammation, and can really slow down the decline that we see with dementia with Alzheimer's.

Host: What about improving your cognitive skills? You know, I've heard over the years, for example, do crossword puzzles, things like that. Is there any validity to that?

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: There may be. I think what's most important that, day to day we always like to stress is by staying active physically, and also by keeping close, social connections, by maintaining conversations with your loved ones, going to social groups, going to the gym, going out as much as you're physically able to.

And by keeping that open conversation with your physician to see, okay, am I taking medications that are right for me. Am I doing the best thing for my body? I think those things are extremely important and when you're home and you want to keep your mind busy, those are great, reading and crosswords. But I think what's most important is, by exercising, by getting out, by staying social.

Host: So those social connections are really important then, because I think there are certain older adults may spend more lonely time and this is something that should be avoided then.

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: This is super important because what we see is that loneliness has been associated with decreased daytime functioning, reduced physical activity, lower wellbeing, and poorer health. And so older adults, not just older adults, actually any adult, any person should be encouraged to engage in new activities. Make new friendships. Join social groups, whether it's with your local town or community. Join a gym, start a new job, a new position, exercising. All of this is good for one's morale, for social functioning, for bodily health. So this is, not only important for cognitive performance, but can reduce dementia progression and nursing home admissions. And so really we encourage these social interactions.

Host: That's good to know. That's really good to know. So, Doctor, how can family members assist older adults to have the best possible life as they age?

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: Now I do know that family members actually comprise for majority of what we call a caregiver. Caregiving for older adults is extraordinarily common and it could vary from short term to long term. And when I say caregiving, I really mean anybody who's providing physical care and emotional care to a loved one.

Meaning it could range from helping out with grocery shopping to helping someone get dressed. I think this really depends case by case. And the best thing is to keep an open communication with the loved one and with the physician to see, how can we best help our loved ones? What can we do? And that answer can change from person to person.

Host: So is there anything that family members can do to assist who live far away? Can they be engaged in the process? And if so, how?

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: A lot of this, the first step is to have that open dialogue with your loved one. Know what matters most to your loved one. Have a discussion with the providers to see how you can help. For some people, maybe it means setting up the loved one with a Life Alert bracelet or an Apple watch to see if anyone fell.

In other situations it might be having to get extra help at home or to have a camera to make sure that no one is falling or that nothing bad is happening at home. So this also really can vary, but I think the most important thing that I could stress is, again, what also goes in line with that social aspect is to try to stay involved, schedule, those FaceTime calls, schedule those weekly or nightly phone calls, have that conversation and involve each other in what's going on emotionally, physically. I think that's the best thing that anyone could do for a loved one, not just family, but friends, neighbors, anyone who is a part of each other's life.

Host: This is very practical advice because sometimes the older adult doesn't necessarily know what he or she needs depending on where they are cognitively. So the fact that a loved one is checking in or coming around to even observe will make a big difference.

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: Right. And that's why I stress you have to have that open dialogue with your loved one, but also with the provider, with the physician, because sometimes there might be some insight or some recommendations depending on what the needs are.

Host: Now, do you recommend that older adults seek out experts in geriatric care as they get older?

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: It's very important to have that open dialogue with the physician. Understanding what our older adults' goals are, what we could do for medications. At certain times, there may be need for more specialty care, but everything starts with that discussion with the physician, to see how can we take care of you the best.

Host: What are the benefits of aging in place and what's involved Doctor for this to be a workable solution?

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: Now this is actually a complex matter. For most people, what our goals are is to establish a safe environment with your support group, with the support of the caregiver, with the providers, with any other services that may be needed to allow for a safe stay at home. This includes some things that might sound basic, but also making sure that home is a safe place, that we're not going to be prone to falling at home, whether, it might be in the shower. Maybe some people need grab bars in the shower or a shower chair. Maybe it's safer for someone to walk around the house with a rollator walker. But this again goes case by case and it involves this discussion with the caregivers, with the provider, with whatever other services might be needed for a patient.

Host: Any other tips you'd like to share?

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: I think the most important takeaway point is for as many people to recognize that yes, diet, exercising, lifestyle, interventions, quitting smoking. This can all make a huge difference in our life, not only for our chronic diseases, but also for our memory, for our cognitive function.

Host: Well, that is definitely a good reason to make those lifestyle changes. Dr. Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, thanks so much for providing some great tips for healthy aging.

Michelle Annabi-Rabadi, DO: Of course. Thank you so much for having me here today.

Host: Now for more information, please call our physician referral service at 914-964-4DOC. That's 914-964-4362. Or email us at Find A doc at riversidehealth.org. That's Find a doc at riversidehealth.org. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it with others and check out other episodes of Riverside Radio HealthCast, the podcast from St. John's Riverside Hospital.