Springfield, Pa. – Don’t look now, but the free spirits, activists and trailblazers of the Baby Boom generation have begun to mellow with age. Of the 3.4 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964, many are starting to experience some of the aches and pains and chronic health concerns that people inevitably develop as they grow older.

In a 2007 study of more than 20,000 Americans published by the National Health Institute (NIH), the top four self-reported health problems among people age 55 to 64 are arthritis (49.3 percent of study participants), high blood pressure (44.9 percent), heart problems (15.5 percent), and diabetes (15 percent).

As the Baby Boomers are discovering, with advancing age comes an increased risks for chronic diseases — such as those experienced by participants in the NIH study. Chronic diseases cause 70 percent of deaths in the United States and are the leading cause of long-term disability, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, an agency of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Nadeem Anis, M.D., director of Hospitalist Services at Taylor Hospital and the hospital’s Senior Health Services site champion, sees many patients between the ages of 44 and 62. Their health concerns, he notes, “mirror those of the overall U.S. population. The most common conditions I see are cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and its complications, and diabetes.”

In addition to chronic health conditions, the wear and tear of daily living can take its toll on aging joints, notes Christopher Davis, D.O., a Springfield Hospital family medicine physician and the hospital’s Senior Health Services site champion.

“About 70 percent of my practice is composed of Baby Boomers, and a lot of them have knee and hip pain, and back pain due to osteoarthritis, the most common degenerative joint disease,” he says.

Many Baby Boomers also are facing more serious diagnoses of breast, lung, colorectal and other types of cancer. According to Pennsylvania Department of Health statistics, the disease afflicts more than 70,000 Pennsylvanians each year.

“Cancer usually does not have any noticeable symptoms at first, so I always recommend screening for the disease at age-appropriate stages, such as mammography and breast self-exams for all women age 40 and older and colonoscopy for both men and women when they turn 50,” Anis says.

Davis recommends “preventive maintenance” for men and women over 40. This may include a yearly physical examination by a primary care provider and routine health and lifestyle screenings. These activities can uncover many health problems in their earliest stages, when risk factor modification and treatment are more likely to be successful.

“Through routine health screening, doctors can identify early symptoms of disease or lifestyle habits that may put your health and longevity at risk,” says Robert Madonna Jr., D.O., chairman of the Department of Family Practice at Delaware County Memorial Hospital and the site’s Senior Health Services champion. “Although age is one of the non-modifiable risk factors for chronic disease, you can control other risk factors — such as being overweight or obese, smoking, physical inactivity, and an unhealthy diet — thereby preventing the onset of illness or delaying the progression of disease for those already living with heart disease, diabetes or cancer.”

That’s a message seconded by William Zirker, M.D., chief of the Division of Geriatrics at Crozer-Chester Medical Center and medical director of Crozer-Keystone Senior Health Services.

“We’ve all heard and seen the news stories that stress the health dangers related to physical inactivity, obesity, and other side effects of the ‘typical’ American lifestyle,” Zirker says. “That’s why the best time to monitor your health is before problems emerge. It is frailty and the consequences of chronic disease that most boomers fear. It’s never too late to make positive changes in your lifestyle to protect your health into the future. The benefits of exercise are well known in preserving both physical and mental function and in improving health status. If exercise could be put into a pill, it would be a ‘blockbuster’ of a drug.”

You Can Do It!

To help maintain a healthy weight — at any age — most nutrition experts recommend keeping a food diary, watching portion sizes, eating more vegetables and fruits, and cutting back on fatty and processed foods and empty calories. The American Dietetic Association recommends two to three servings of fruits and three to five servings of vegetables each day.

If you’d like to be more physically active, start small. Look for opportunities throughout the day to build activity into your routine. Parking farther away from a store or your workplace, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, hand-delivering messages at work, and walking to destinations instead of driving are just some of the ways you can fit more movement into your life.

“There’s no doubt that quitting smoking is one of the best ways to reduce your risk for lung diseases, cancer, heart disease, stroke and other health problems,” Madonna says. “Many people have had success with nicotine-replacement therapy and tobacco-cessation programs like those offered at Delaware County Memorial Hospital.” (Call (610) 447-6009 to learn more about these programs, which are offered throughout the Crozer-Keystone Health System.)

“The Baby Boomers are starting to realize that they are getting older and that they need to take better care of themselves,” Anis says. “The good news is that, with all of the advances in medical care that have happened over the past few decades, Baby Boomers have more options and more knowledge than did their parents and their grandparents.”

To find a Crozer-Keystone physician who is right for you, call 1-800-CK-HEALTH (1-800-254-3258).

We’re 5 hospitals, 2,600 doctors and nurses, and 7,100 caring people with 1 vision.

Crozer-Keystone. Something to feel good about.