As we age, we face a new set of health issues to consider. Healthy seniors know the importance of diet, exercise, and regular check ups. From bone density, to arthritis, to mental acuity, there are many aspects of being a healthy senior to keep in mind.

Exercise is one of the most important aspects of health at any age, particularly in the senior years. Seniors who exercise have more vigor for their daily tasks. Exercise for seniors needs to take into consideration other health concerns. If you are starting to suffer from joint trouble, you need to choose a form of exercise that is mild and easy on your joints. Walking is one of the best exercises to do no matter what your age. With a good pair of walking shoes, walking is easy on the joints and gets your heart rate and respiratory rate up, which is important to a healthy body.

Many seniors face hearing loss. The normal wear and tear your ears go through as you are exposed to loud noises throughout your life eventually damages the cochlea, which is located in the inner ear. Estimates indicate that a third of all Americans who are sixty or over have some hearing loss. While there is no cure for hearing loss, you can get devices such as hearing aids to amplify the sounds around you so you can still hear.

Another concern for many seniors is osteoporosis. While this is a disease that typically affects women, it can affect men as well. Osteoporosis is a bone disease caused by a loss of bone density. As the bones become less dense, they become fragile. Osteoporosis itself is not painful, but seniors with the condition are prone to fractures. Sometimes the bones affected by osteoporosis become so weak that they collapse. The most common places to have injuries as a result of osteoporosis are the hips, spine, and wrists. Osteoporosis is detected through bone density testing, and is treated with supplements, lifestyle changes, and medications.

One of the scariest diseases commonly attributed to seniors is Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that causes impaired memory function combined with a dysfunction in one other thinking area. The image most of us have of an Alzheimer’s patient is someone who no longer recognizes his or her loved ones, which is, sadly, often the case with this disease. Alzheimer’s patients can become disoriented and violent. Healthy seniors need to realize that Alzheimer’s is not an inevitable part of the aging process. It is a disease, and study is being done to determine whether or not there is a treatment for it. Diagnosing Alzheimer’s early will help keep the disease from progressing as rapidly through medical and non-medical Alzheimer's treatments.