Health promotion and disease prevention in the older adults

Abstract

Most health promotion and disease prevention programs to reduce mortality and morbidity in adults are effective in the elderly. In elderly people, these programs must also be targeted towards increasing quality of life and decreasing functional disability. Moreover, programs to prevent geriatric syndromes such as frailty, sarcopenia, and falls must be considered. When planning the screening of cancers that are common in the elderly, it must be taken into consideration that the complication rate of screening tests is high in the elderly and that life expectancy is important in deciding when to stop the screening. Life expectancy must be individually evaluated by considering the comorbidity and disability of each individual.