By Jane A. Malkoff MSN RN NP
Welcome to part two of a three part series on aging as a collaborative. In part one, we looked at the importance of Belonging and how to draw attention and practice to the principle features of Belonging. Part two looks at the importance of Awareness.
Awareness is knowledge of a situation or fact. Awareness is essential for human well-being because it provides for the best course of action in any situation for ourselves or for a loved one. Examples of Awareness include seeking a definition of healthy aging, learning to implement healthy aging strategies, and seeking support to meet healthy aging goals.
The World Health Organization, an organization of the United Nations focused on international public health and leading global collaborative initiatives, draws our Awareness by providing a definition of healthy aging “as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age. Functional ability is about having the capabilities that enable all people to be and do what they have reason to value. This includes a person’s ability to:
- meet their basic needs;
- to learn, grow and make decisions;
- to be mobile;
- to build and maintain relationships; and
- to contribute to society.”
In 2016, The National Institutes of Health published these tips on how to stay healthy at 50+ years of age;
- Get moving. Exercise can reduce the risk for age-related diseases and disability.
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Pay attention to weight and shape. Extra weight, especially at the waist or with muscle loss, can raise health risks. Talk to your doctor about weight concerns.
- Don’t smoke or use tobacco.
- Keep your brain active. Get tips for a healthy brain at www.brainhealth.gov
- Be good to yourself. Get enough sleep. Stay in touch with family and friends. And surround yourself with people you enjoy.
- Get regular medical checkups.
- Drink alcohol only in moderation.
Awareness is an aging collaborative. The amount of information and research on healthy aging is at an all-time high and is easily accessible. If we are capable, we have the responsibility to understand our aging process and the impact of our aging process on ourselves and those around us. This is especially true if those around us are people we expect will help to take care of us in our older years.