Getting older doesn’t necessarily mean you need to look or feel older. Age is just a number, and the advancement of years is simply how many times you have travelled around the sun and graced the world with your presence.
But sadly, bodies didn’t get that exact memo, and as you get older, no matter how young and youthful you feel, you will slowly start succumbing to wear and tear and natural ageing processes.
So if you’re at the stage where your knees creak when you stand up or you’re turning the TV up that little bit louder, it might be worth exploring exactly what is going on with your body.
Or, for those who want to give their bodies a little bit of TLC in their advancing years, here are some body parts that would benefit from a little bit of extra attention.
Ears and Hearing
Over the years, your ears will have heard a lot of things; they will have been with you through the loud, joyous occasions and the deathly quiet times that you would rather forget. And with this experience, it’s no wonder they can be susceptible to damage and changes. But it’s not just your hearing that is impacted by changes within your ears; it’s also your balance and overall quality of life, too.
People experiencing hearing loss can become withdrawn and frustrated, and are at greater risk of cognitive decline. This is why regular check-ups with auditory health care providers such as Medico Audiology are important. They can help you better understand your current hearing and uncover any issues that might impact you moving forward.
Hearing tests are more effective when undertaken every 3-5 years up to 50, and once a year once you exceed 5 decades on earth.
Eyes
Have you noticed you’re squinting more? Or are you turning the radio down in the car so you can see clearly (yes, this is a thing, and millions of people in the world do it). But presbyopia is a rite of passage as you get older.
A change in eyesight is to be expected from the age of 40 onwards, and that 20/20 vision could soon be relegated to just a memory. However, needing reading glasses isn’t the only reason for getting regular eye tests as you get older. Eye tests can detect conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration. Ideally, an eye test every two years is optimal, more frequent if your optician recommends it.
Skin
How much attention do you pay to changes in your skin? If your skin could talk, it would regale an enthralled audience with stories of exciting adventures, crazy activities, and probably some loving, touching moments you have lived through and are wearing within each line, wrinkle, and dry patch on your skin. It’s your body’s largest organ, and it deserves more than a quick slap of moisturiser twice a day.
Skin changes become more prevalent as you get older, and you need to look for signs of changes, including new moles or changes to existing ones, increases in the number of freckles or freckles that like moles are changing in shape, colour, and size. A yearly check can be enough to catch any changes to your skin, not to mention being lifesaving. But in between checks, a healthy diet, adequate hydration, and a generous application of SPF when you go in the sun can work wonders in preventing skin damage.
