4 Ways To Promote Patient Longevity: Strategies to Help Patients Live Longer, Happier Lives

Our world population is living longer than ever before. Adults are retiring later and later, and anecdotally, those aged 55 and older are no longer considered “old”.

As a healthcare provider, this creates a unique opportunity to help patients continue to not just live longer, but thrive well past what we previously thought possible. 

This idea can be summed up into two words: patient longevity. While there are many ways to help patients live longer and enjoy their lives, data suggests that focusing in on a few key areas can significantly affect and promote patient longevity and help you to practice better.

Here are 4 ways to promote your patients’ longevity: 

Implement Exercise

Longevity isn’t just about helping patients live longer. It’s also about making sure that aging patients are happy, and can continue to be independent and enjoy their favorite activities for years to come.

At this intersection of health and happiness, you’ll find that exercise is a vital part of the equation. 

Data suggests that patients who stop exercising or fail to exercise throughout their lives, are more likely to lose mobility which can lead to increased risk of disease and overall worse life expectancy [2].

Contrastingly, we see that older adults who exercise regularly are more likely to experience “improvements in mental health, emotional, psychological, and social well-being and cognitive function” [3]. In a study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers found that aerobic and strength training were associated with a reduction in mortality risk. The research concluded that 1-3 hours of aerobic exercise and 1-2 strength training sessions weekly caused a significant mortality risk reduction [4]. This study further reveals the importance of exercise in longevity and overall well-being.

It can be hard for older patients to feel confident or comfortable beginning an exercise regimen. That’s where you as their provider can play a pivotal role in guiding them. Thankfully with remote patient care technology, you can prescribe your patients an exercise program to complete from the comfort of their home, giving them all the tools they need to get started implementing exercise into their weekly routine.

Remotely Monitor Progress Through Patient Wearable Health Devices 

As patients age, it’s common for them to experience health issues that they didn’t experience earlier in life. That’s why goal setting is key. For example, patients may say “I want to feel less tired” or “I want to lose 10 pounds.” Identifying these goals is vital to developing a care plan for the patient.

However, creating goals with your patients is only helpful if you’re able to accurately measure their progress.

One solution is asking patients to use a wearable or connected health device. Patient wearable health devices are taking the healthcare industry by storm. In a study conducted by US Department of Health and Human Services, use of a connected health device increased from 15% in 2020 to 25% in 2021 among US households [1].

With a variety of connected health devices available to consumers for a myriad of conditions, and constant improvements in the user experience, these wearables provide both you and your patients with invaluable data about their health. Popular wearables include, Fitbit for activity tracking, Oura ring to monitor sleep, the Apple Watch for health data, the Innotech scale for weight and body measurements and more.

With this technology, you can track patient progress and guide their care more closely by analyzing the data sent from their device to a remote patient care platform where you can monitor the data in realtime. With patient wearables you can track patient progress everyday which eliminates unreliable self-reporting or forgetfulness.

Monitoring Alcohol Consumption 

Alcohol is a touchy subject for many patients, but it’s important to talk about the potential effects of alcohol on the body, especially for aging patients.

Drinking in excess can lead to damage to organs such as the brain or liver and can make patients more susceptible to diseases such as osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, ulcers, memory loss, and mood disorders” [5].

In a study done by Oxford Population Health, results showed that high alcohol intake was associated with shortened telomere length, which can cause DNA damage. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences at the end of a chromosome. Shorter telomere lengths are associated with aging-related diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. The study by Oxford Population Health revealed that excess alcohol may be harmful to telomere length and may also cause aging-related disease [6].

While some data will suggest that a glass of wine a day is healthy [7], others suggest even one glass of wine per day leads to decreased brain size [8]. It’s clear, however, that high alcohol intake is harmful to the body and affects the aging process.

As a healthcare provider, you are the main source for expert and professional opinion around alcohol consumption. It’s always important to educate and guide patients about alcohol use and when doing so, take the individual patient history into account when recommending whether or not to consume alcohol, and to what frequency.

When it comes to helping patients slow the aging process, moderation and potentially abstinence from alcohol is the best way to ensure that patients can remain healthy and feel great for years to come.  Use a patient education platform to provide patients the lifestyle guidance they need every day.

BHRT (Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy)

When lifestyle change isn’t enough, patients may require the intervention of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy or BHRT. As women and men age, the hormones that help keep them feeling youthful and energized, namely estrogen and testosterone, begin to decline. The goal of BHRT is to restore these hormones in a way that combats symptoms of aging.

Dr. Moy, a Beverly Hills dermatologist says “Patients tell me their lives have been changed with bioidentical hormones. The three reasons to do bioidentical hormones are for disease prevention, to look better and feel better.” [9]

If it’s within your qualifications and/or area of expertise, it may be beneficial to talk to your patients about their hormone levels and how to optimize them in order to “tailor treatment so that the patient achieves maximum relief—emotionally as well as physically” [10] from symptoms that stem from age related hormonal imbalance.

Just like any medication or medical intervention, BHRT comes with potential risks.  Not all of the risks are without controversy as studies are often at odds and conducted in inconsistent ways.  But it’s worth discussing the studies with patients, given that some find the potential for breast and other cancers and in some, “a slightly increased risk of stroke, blood clots developing in the legs or lungs, and gallbladder disease. The risk is small, but may be greater for women who have a history of these conditions or have a family history of these conditions.” [10][11]

Talk to your patients about whether they are a good candidate for this treatment and be sure to discuss the risks in addition to the benefits.

Remote Patient Care Platform 

If you’re looking for remote patient care tools to assist you in educating your patients on healthy aging, check out BodySite. BodySite offers HIPAA-compliant messaging/telemedicine, an automated patient education system, and many other ways to care for your patients remotely, all while saving you time.

Click here to claim your 30-Day Free Trial of the BodySite platform or click here to learn more about the BodySite solution.

If you’re interested in learning more about patient longevity, be sure to attend the Longevity Fest 2022, hosted by BodySite’s sister organization, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. BodySite will be exhibiting at Longevity Fest 2022. 

 

SOURCES: 

  1. Parks Associates. “Adoption of Connected Medical Devices Has Increased to 25% of US Broadband Households in 2021.” Parks Associates, https://www.parksassociates.com/blog/article/pr-11302021#:~:text=The%20research%20firm%20reports%20that,2020%20to%2025%25%20in%202021.
  2. “Maintaining Mobility and Preventing Disability Are Key to Living Independently as We Age.” National Institute on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/maintaining-mobility-and-preventing-disability-are-key-living-independently-we-age.
  3. Langhammer, Birgitta, et al. “The Importance of Physical Activity Exercise among Older People.” BioMed Research International, Hindawi, 5 Dec. 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6304477/.
  4. Coleman CJ, McDonough DJ, Pope ZC, et alDose–response association of aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity with mortality: a national cohort study of 416 420 US adultsBritish Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 11 August 2022. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-105519
  5. “Facts about Aging and Alcohol.” National Institute on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/facts-about-aging-and-alcohol.
  6. Garth, Eleanor. “Genetic Study Demonstrates That Alcohol Accelerates Biological Aging.” Longevity.Technology – Latest News, Opinions, Analysis and Research, 26 July 2022, https://longevity.technology/news/genetic-study-demonstrates-that-alcohol-accelerates-biological-aging/.
  7. Mary Kekatos Health Reporter For Dailymail.com. “A Glass of Wine a Night Is Good for the Elderly – but Not for Anyone Else .” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 6 Mar. 2019, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6757265/A-glass-wine-night-good-elderly-not-else.html.
  8. Credits Katherine Unger Baillie , et al. “One Alcoholic Drink a Day Linked with Reduced Brain Size.” Penn Today, 10 Oct. 1970, https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/one-alcoholic-drink-day-linked-reduced-brain-size.
  9. Hilton, Lisette. “HRT for Anti-Aging: The Hormones and the Benefits.” Dermatology Times, Dermatology Times, 13 Nov. 2020, https://www.dermatologytimes.com/view/hrt-anti-aging-hormones-and-benefits.
  10. Kale, Laura. “Doctor, Should I Take Hormones?” The Permanente Journal, The Permanente Journal, 2005, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3108426/.
  11. American Cancer Society Medical Team.  “Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Cancer Risk.” American Cancer Society, 2015 https://www.cancer.org/healthy/cancer-causes/medical-treatments/menopausal-hormone-replacement-therapy-and-cancer-risk.html