What ailments/accidents befall those over 60? Proactive actions to take?

[simon43]

Some will have read my post about my ongoing prostate cancer diagnosis and possible treatment.  This situation has really made me think long and hard about where I live in the future (ie in a city or rural location, regardless of the country), and what actions I can take to ensure that I am unlikely to suffer a major illness or accident.

 

I checked the data about what illnesses or causes of death are the most common for men aged 60+.  (This also depends on what country you live in, lifestyle etc etc)

 

Heart attack

Stroke

Cancer

Lung diseases

Diabetes

Pneumonia

Kidney disease

Alzheimer's disease

Accidents/suicide etc

 

Out of these ailments only heart attack, stroke and accidents are sudden-onset ailments, (well, suicide as well, but unless you're suffering from severe depression or mental illness, then I'll discount this as a likely cause of death).

 

So if one is living in a rural area, far from a decent hospital, all the other ailments may give you time to travel to a suitable hospital for treatment etc.

 

I'm thinking how one can avoid sudden-onset, life-threatening illnesses or accidents.  Add into the pot detached retinas, appendicitus as urgent ailments that need one to quickly travel to a suitable hospital.

 

So apart from accidents (slip in the shower, have a motorbike accident, cut your leg off with the power saw in the garden etc), it looks like only stroke and heart attacks are the likely sudden-onset illnesses, (unless you know better - please comment!)

 

I took an online survey as to the likelyhood of me having a stroke or HA, based on my lifestyle and my risk was minimal ????

 

I have no idea what causes appendicitus (blockage?), so I'm not sure how to be proactive to avoid that.

 

Accidents?  Hold onto things in the bathroom, avoid slippery tiled floors, wear a crash helmet when riding a motorbike (and maybe in the bathroom as well!!), don't ride drunk, don't pick fights with anyone etc

 

You can't protect yourself from all the health risks in life, but what other actions can one take?  I ask because I need to consider whether living in remote locations is a sensible option for me in the future, or whether I should ;lve within striking distance of a decent hospital.

 

Please feel free to add your own advice and any other (realistic) health risks that might befall the older person.

[proton]

Christ I needed cheering up , thanks me duck! (he will know)

[BritManToo]

9 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Please feel free to add your own advice and any other (realistic) health risks that might befall the older person.

Be happy you've made it to 60, most of my pals haven't. 

 

That's my policy, made it to 67 so every extra day is good. 

 

I will accept death when it comes. No cancer treatment or chemo (beyond remove of spots) for me, it just doesn't appear worthwhile. 

[Adumbration]

Common causes for appendicitus are watermelon seeds and tooth brush bristles.

 

Don't eat seeds and replace your toothbrush regularly and you are all set to hit 100.

[steven100]

what a miserable post OP ....   go back to bed  !!!

 

[sidjameson]

Polluted air is one of the big contributers to stroke and other problems.

[novacova]

Prevention is paramount.

don’t smoke 

don’t drink alcohol 

exercise

stop eating fried food, sugar, carbs, mukata msg laced soup and processed junk

eat as much raw food as possible 

treat everyone with respect and kindness

stay out of toxic relationships 

dont live in a desperate state of mind 

and just be happy ???? 

[JustThisOnePostOnly]

10 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I will accept death when it comes. No cancer treatment or chemo (beyond remove of spots) for me, it just doesn't appear worthwhile. 

This is my take as well, plus, I have no dependents, which makes even more of a no-brainer.

 

As to OPs query, I am torn between Thailand and Mexico.  A big advantage for Mexico is it appears to be a lot easier for me to live on the beach, simply because there is so much more of it there.

I mean, actually living on the beach, but with some kind of permanent structure to provide shelter and all of the other conveniences.

 

A big reason for this is fear of falling.  I fell twice in my 50s and it was some scary stuff.  It hasn't been that many years since and I rather doubt I'd fare as well today.

 

Fall on the beach and if somebody is taking a video it'd be safe to add a laugh track.

 

Condo floor with the hard tile wouldn't be as funny.

 

Plus I pull my weight in the beer-drinking dept., so the hazard is increased somewhat.

 

So... for me not being able to get immediate life-saving treatment isn't as scary as becoming incapacitated, as breaking a hip or worse in a fall would surely do.

 

Imagine wanting to end your life and not being able to do so.  Shiver.

 

Until then, move slowly and cautiously and yell at people who get in your way.

[simon43]

I forgot - diabetes is also a major cause of death...

[VocalNeal]

6 minutes ago, novacova said:

Prevention is paramount.

don’t smoke 

don’t drink alcohol 

exercise

stop eating fried food, sugar, carbs, mukata msg laced soup and processed junk

eat as much raw food as possible 

treat everyone with respect and kindness

stay out of toxic relationships 

dont live in a desperate state of mind 

and just be happy ???? 

...and get vaccinated against pneumonia????

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Quote

"any other (realistic) health risks that might befall the older person."

 

BeFALL is the right word here....

 

Be careful on those rickety, hazard-prone Thai sidewalks, slippery tiles in and out of the bathroom/shower, long stairs up and down BTS stations for those in BKK, and other danger zones here in the Wild East!

 

"[Sen Mitch] McConnell will be among 800,000 [U.S.] seniors who will be hospitalized with injuries from falling this year. For older adults in the U.S., fall death rates went up by 30% from 2007-2016, and researchers predict there will be seven deadly falls every hour by 2030.

 

Researchers say that “falls account for 70 percent of accidental deaths in persons 75 years of age and older.”

 

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2023/mitch-mcconnell-among-800000-seniors-hospitalized-falling-injuries/

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Also, I know some here will take exception to the following notion....

 

But medical research has been pretty clear in coming to the conclusion that married men in general tend to live longer than single men do...  Although, separate from that, those with good social relationships (as opposed to being isolated) also tend to fare better.

 

[proton]

18 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

...and get vaccinated against pneumonia????

Never knew you could

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

26 minutes ago, proton said:

Never knew you could

Much recommended for older adults age 65 and beyond...

 

Key Facts

"Pneumococcal disease is common in young children, but older adults are at greatest risk of serious illness and death."

 

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/pneumo/index.html

[kalasiner]

Main medical risk: Death

Action to take:       Make a will. 

 

Sorry about your cancer problems.

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer about 20 years ago aged 55...PSA >40.

Luckily I was living in a European 'nanny state' which paid probably more than a million euros to  cure me. I would have been left to die in the Good Ol USA.

 

Please PM me if you're interested in the details of my treatment  (no operation).

I guess your future health lies in the hands of your health insurance company.

 

Sincere best wishes.

 

 

 

 

[PJ71]

1 hour ago, novacova said:

Prevention is paramount.

don’t smoke 

don’t drink alcohol 

Rather just die i think!

[simon43]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Be happy you've made it to 60, most of my pals haven't. 

Same here.  All my mates are dead from alcoholism, cancer, motorbike accidents, diabetes and suicide!

 

[quote]

..and get vaccinated against pneumonia

[/quote]

 

Since returning to the UK and registering with the NHS I have been offered a free colon cancer test (waiting for the result), free Covid booster, free flu shot and free pneumonia shot ????

 

[quote]

I guess your future health lies in the hands of your health insurance company.

[/quote]

 

Well I thought it did, but my health insurance company had other ideas...!

 

 

 

 

[ubonr1971]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Be happy you've made it to 60, most of my pals haven't. 

 

That's my policy, made it to 67 so every extra day is good. 

 

I will accept death when it comes. No cancer treatment or chemo (beyond remove of spots) for me, it just doesn't appear worthwhile. 

Many of your friends die in their 50s? What was the causes?

[Eloquent pilgrim]

You forgot to mention having your throat slit by a Thai woman with a disembowelling cutlass  …… which will be officially recorded as suicide

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

I ask because I need to consider whether living in remote locations is a sensible option for me in the future, or whether I should ;lve within striking distance of a decent hospital.

Do you want to live in a remote location?

Otherwise there is no point considering that option.

Personally I wouldn't want to live in any location which is more than walking distance to the next 7/11, restaurants, etc.

[simon43]

8 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Do you want to live in a remote location?

Otherwise there is no point considering that option.

Personally I wouldn't want to live in any location which is more than walking distance to the next 7/11, restaurants, etc.

Well not 'remote' (as in the North Pole).  Think rural, in a village.

[Denim]

2 hours ago, novacova said:

Prevention is paramount.

don’t smoke 

don’t drink alcohol 

exercise

stop eating fried food, sugar, carbs, mukata msg laced soup and processed junk

eat as much raw food as possible 

treat everyone with respect and kindness

stay out of toxic relationships 

dont live in a desperate state of mind 

and just be happy ???? 

Basically ....don't taste all life has to offer and you might get an extra squeeze of the lemon if you press hard.

 

I'd rather die 5 years quicker having sucked all the juice life sent my way than live like a monk proud to have tasted little but lived long.

 

Understand this : Life is transient and temporal. You are going to die as a certainty and you will never know what the agent of your demise is going to be. Bad health or a tragic traffic accident.

 

I'm with the Buddha on this....the middle way. Moderation in all things. Go on a bender and whore it up ....then stay at home for a week chill out.

 

Wisdom comes from experience not study. Survive your stupidity and become wise.

[3NUMBAS]

strokes and heart attacks most common

 

have a defibulator handy

[OneMoreFarang]

9 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Well not 'remote' (as in the North Pole).  Think rural, in a village.

In a rural village you still might have the problem with transportation.

If you own a car and you have someone except you who can drive that car, then that is fine. But otherwise, you have to rely on others. And that is sometimes difficult in those villages. 

[3NUMBAS]

peeing or crapping your pants is common

 

and ED to go with it

 

 

pancreatitis is hard to spot and leads to death

[3NUMBAS]

act fast in the case of strokes a 2 hour window to get meds from hospital or u end up   in a wheelchair for good

[Damrongsak]

In my case I had an aortic aneurism about 10 years ago.  Would have killed me if I hadn't had it operated on.  Since it runs in the family, my Mother paid for my brother and I to get an ultrasound screening.  Sure enough I had a pretty big one.  They can rupture and kill you in minutes.  They are usually asymptomatic until they get really big or rupture.

[Lorry]

4 hours ago, simon43 said:

only heart attack, stroke and accidents are sudden-onset ailments

The word "only" is the big mistake here,  as mentioned by 3numbas these 3 are what most people will die from.

 

In Thailand,  even in the big cities fast access to good medical care is unpredictable. People have collapsed on the doorsteps of Bumrungrad and the first responders brought them to the police hospital (travel insurance had them transferred back to Bumrungrad). A guy I know had a life-threatening emergency on the zebra crossing from soi 2 to soi 3.

He was brought to the most distant international hospital because they paid the highest commission (he survived).

 

But in a remote village,  your chances are very poor: first,  the famously smart villagers have to discuss what to do - 1 hour.  Second,  find transport - 2 more hours. Then discuss cost of transport - is 500 baht too much to save a life? Can't it be done for 300 baht? The concept of "urgency" is not well known in rural Thailand. 

And finally it's a trip to the district hospital (30 beds), then to the provincial capital (can take 2 or 3 hours). And not all provincial hospitals are very good.

 

In Western Europe, response time  to get EVT (big stroke) or cath lab (HA) is ideally measured more in minutes than in hours. Here, it's  days - if at all.

 

My personal choice: 15km max paved road from a decent provincial hospital like Surin or Kamphaeng Phet (not something like Ranong or Amnat), 50km if I own a car. And some possibility of transport to a big city (this pretty much rules out Ranong or Kamphaeng).

 

There once was a young poster from Umpang who discussed this dilemma - yes, it's  nice to live in Umpang. But you don't want an accident there. 

You pays your money and you takes your chances. 

[gk10012001]

Most over looked activity is mild weight training.  Flexibility and some aerobic exercise is good, but strength is better.  Not powerlifting.  Just mild weight training.  It helps maintain bone strength and mass.  It can really help prevent injuries from falls.   Circulation benefits. 

 

After that of course is diet.  More veggies and tofu and less nitrates and bacon the better.

[scubascuba3]

Riding a motorbike after dark massively increases your risk of an accident

 

Diabetes type 2 can be prevented \ reversed, if obese you're at high risk.

 

Get your blood checked to see if any warning signs