In a previous life, I was the department head in a large school and I had several teachers in my department who were in their 60s. Over time, I noticed that some of them, not all, needed more help and were using their sick days more than their younger colleagues. I was at a loss as to know how to help them. There is more information available now than when I had my position, and it is important that between the ages of 45 and 55, a person develops good health habits.
There is some research that points to the idea that age 55 to 65 may be a critical decade, for individuals and may affect their health and may set them on a path that leads to good or bad health for their later adult years and the habits of the previous ten years influence how a person ages in these critical years.
Researchers have identified risk factors that can influence whether or not as a person ages they can stay healthily as they enter retirement.
Experts said there are several factors that can influence a 55-year-old person’s health for the next decade.
Researchers have identified some clinically important declines in physical health over a 10-year period, starting when a person turns 55. They are:
· Whether they smoke
· Their weight
· How educated they are
· Any other illnesses including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and osteoarthritis they may have
· If they have ‘clinically significant’ depression and
· If they had a higher physical component summary score - a measure of a person’s physical health - at the start of the study.
The good news is that a large proportion of people at midlife are very stable and will not experience declines.
By identifying risk factors and determining who is at risk, we may find interventions that can stave off health declines and help put people on a better health trajectory for retirement.
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