It is no surprise that with improvements in medical
treatment for the elderly, lifespans are on the rise. Our senior population is
growing fast, but we often wonder is it quality over quantity? If we are going
to live longer, don’t we want to have more years of comfort, rather than
disability and illness? A recent study shows that those in search of physical health
and rejuvenation later and longer in life are in luck. These medical advancements are bolstering the
quality of life for seniors and lessoning the inevitability of disabilities
earlier on, especially in those suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
Research shows that diabetic seniors born in the 1940s have
many more disability-free years than those born in the 30s. On an average,
American seniors between the ages of 50 and 70 are enjoying more years without
disabilities, with our without chronic illness.
Thanks to hip and knee replacements, promotion of healthy
lifestyles and improvements to diabetes and heart disease management, quality
of life is sustained until later and disabilities are being postponed until
after age 70 on an average. In essence, over the past two decades, the medical
world has learned how to compress disability, or lessen the amount of time a
patient will suffer physical ailments, pushing the occurrence of disability
further into the future.
Co-author of the study, which was published in The Lancet
Diabetes & Endocrinology, Dr. Edward Gregg, stressed the importance of diabetes
prevention when looking towards more years of disability-free senior living.
Focusing on a healthy diet and exercise, and staying away from smoking and
alcohol can greatly improve one’s chances at being healthy and disability-free
later in life. Although so much more is known today about living with type 1
and type 2 diabetes in the senior years, maintenance and management can be
costly and time consuming. Reducing the risk of developing these diseases at
all in life is still the best bet.
A colleague who published a related study, Dr. Evelyn Wong
of Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, suggested that the success of
this study is showing how management of chronic conditions is really improving
and pushing the inevitability of disability much later in life. Unfortunately,
more people than ever are developing diabetes, so prevention is still the key,
even though management is moving forward. Further research is needed in this
area to accurately assess the cost of disability postponement.