Does diet and exercise matter at 85?

At 85, changing what someone eats or how much they move can still make a real difference, though how much depends on their health, existing conditions and goals. A few specific things tend to help most:

• Diet: A balanced diet with enough protein, fiber and healthy fats supports overall health and lowers the risk of malnutrition and heart disease.
• Smaller changes help too: less sodium for blood pressure, more anti-inflammatory foods like fruit, vegetables and omega-3s from fish.

• Even light activity, walking or chair yoga, is linked to a lower risk of dying from any cause. It helps the heart, keeps some muscle strength, and improves balance, which lowers the risk of a fall.

2. Reducing Pain

• Diet: An anti-inflammatory diet can ease pain from arthritis and similar conditions. Omega-3s from fish or flaxseed, and antioxidants from berries and leafy greens, tend to help the most.
• Cutting back on sugar and processed food can lower inflammation, and the pain that comes with it.

• Gentle exercise, swimming or tai chi, eases joint and muscle pain, and loosens up stiffness from arthritis.
• Light resistance training builds muscle that supports the joints, which can ease chronic pain and improve posture.

Things to keep in mind:

• At 85, changes should be gradual and matched to what someone can handle.
• A doctor, dietitian or physical therapist should sign off on any new routine, especially with chronic conditions or frailty in the picture.

What diet and exercise change at 85

These changes probably won't add years by themselves at 85, but they tend to add real quality to the years there are: more mobility, less pain, more independence day to day. If you want help building any of this into a parent's routine, call Endurance Home Care at (203) 936-6847, or ask for a Care Plan to talk through what fits.