Health Essentials

Care for our elderly parents & preparing for our golden years

The past few years I have been thinking a lot about how to make the life of elderly parents fulfilling and with less stress on our lives. How we should also prepare adequately for our golden years while we provide guidance to our children and grandchildren. These thoughts have on several occasions shifted to perimenopause and menopause and the role of finance and wellness and all this cannot be taken for granted.

Age does creep up on us. One minute you are a teen, with neither fears nor cares and in a blink of an eye, you are a parent of teens who will remind you that being around for over half a century is old. Is fifty that old? I do not think so, but a lot depends on what we have been doing for most of the fifty years. It is never too late to make changes.

As we trudge through life, most of us never think about the challenges that our elderly parents may face, and we are just not prepared when reality stares us in the face. Every age bracket has its unique issues and between forty to sixty-five years we often have quite a lot on our plate; supporting our elderly parents, putting our own lives in order and guiding our young ones.

Necessary steps to enhance life of elderly

1. Never boss or try to “parent” your parents

a. Think about this; we unconsciously start “ordering” our parents. Telling them what to do without finding their preferences etc. Parenting our parents is one of the challenges many elderly parents endure silently. Stop It!

2. Ask for their opinion

a. Being old does not mean one no longer has opinions. Ask. Argue in love, discuss issues such as exercise, medication, hospital visits, food, friends, religion, politics. Everything. By all means seek their opinion.

3. Do not overtreat them medically

a. Not every change you see in an elderly person requires medical intervention. Be careful what you buy medicines for and stay away from unnecessary tests. Make sure you speak to a knowledgeable health professional.

4. Hospital stays should be as brief as possible

a. Plan hospital or clinic visits to make them as short and convenient as possible. If possible, get tests and consultations done on the same day. If it’s not an emergency, find out if the medical facility has special arrangements for the elderly and also check the time of days with the shortest wait time. Many elderly people do not like the stress of hospital environments and why should they?

b. When admitted for an illness, work together with the medical team to ensure they are home as soon as possible. Most of them do best in familiar surroundings and home is numero uno.

5. Have them stay at home for as long as possible

a. Sometimes children are in a hurry to send parents off to homes that care for the elderly. People often ask where they could get such support. I think we should all plan to keep parents at home for as long as humanly possible. Sometimes we do not have the option of having them at home, but we need to explore all our options

6. Help them to socialise

a. Organise time with friends etc. at home and out of home. This brings a breath of fresh air to everyone including our elderly parents. This makes them happier, healthier and they live longer.

b. …and the more time we spend with our elderly parents, the longer they live.

7. Ensure physical activity

a. No matter one’s age and medical condition, there is always a form of physical activity to engage in. It may be as simple as making fists or moving arms, but every movement goes a long way to make life better.

b. Sunlight is a must. Do whatever it takes to ensure at least one gets a few minutes of sunlight a day.

c. The presence or chance to see beautiful plants is a bonus worth going the extra mile for.

Steps to prepare for our own golden years

1. Start a wellness plan or continue if you already have one

a. It’s a must!! Learn to breathe, build muscle, move to ensure your heart is happy and even more important parts of your brain that protect you from dementia will grow.

2. Keep in touch with your classmates

a. They have known you for years and a phone call or occasional visit or gathering definitely ignites memories and it brings “warmth” beyond your wildest imagination

3. Surround yourself with younger people

a. They can support you in many ways and their visits brighten your day while your advice is priceless to them. It is a win-win situation.

4. Avoid loneliness at all costs

a. You are not an island. Even if you think you are better off on your own and with your thoughts, nature does not agree with that. Kindly make a few good friends.

5. Protect your brain/memory

a. Dementia is a matter of when and not if; exercise will enlarge the part of the brain that controls memory. Having a larger hippocampus means it takes longer for dementia to show up.

Age will definitely catch up with each of us if we hang around Earth long enough. It is a matter of when and not if so, we should take steps to make our golden years and those of our loved ones happy and fulfilling. I will choose SUCCESSFUL ageing over USUAL ageing any day.

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd (HE&W Group)

(dressel@healthessentialsgh. com)

*Dr Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’

Thought for the week (1) – “Ageing comes with psychosocial challenges such as neglect, abuse, sexual adjustment, emotional disorders, other mental health challenges, issues with living arrangement and several others. Let us all help to make life easier and more enjoyable for the elderly”-Kojo Cobba Essel

By Dr Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials

Making the most of your visit to the doctor

A doctor and a patient in a consulting room

Very often we leave the doctor’s office only to remember that we left out a major complaint. Some patients immediately rush back to the consulting room totally oblivious of the privacy that the next patient is entitled to. They expect that as they walk in, the doctor should ignore the seated or positioned patient and attend to them. That is totally outrageous. Others go home and continue to live with the condition hoping to be healed miraculously.

Most of us will be extremely lucky to spend fifteen (15) minutes with our doctor and this time is often much shorter in countries/communities where the doctor-patient ratio is so low that at best it can be described as criminal.

We are still in the first quarter of 2025, and I highly recommend that you see a doctor not only when you are unwell but as a means to assess your state of wellbeing and take the needed precautions.

To make the most out of our time with the doctor we need to PREPARE. If your condition is an emergency, then you do not have the benefit of time to prepare.

A must do!

Kindly ensure your personal hygiene is excellent.

Take a good bath and brush your teeth
Wear clean clothes that also make undressing easy, especially if you need to expose some areas for inspection/examination.

This may sound ridiculous, but the opposite does happen in real life.

Remember that doctors are human and when you are unkempt you may not get adequate contact with your doctor.

Research on the symptoms

If you have access to the internet or a book worth its salt you may read about your symptoms or wait to read after your doctor tells you your diagnosis.

Remember that if you need to research on the internet, it is essential that you use a reputable site.

In tune with your complaints

Write down your complaints/symptoms if you think you may forget
If you have had a similar problem and have the results of any investigations e.g. Laboratory tests, x-rays, CT scans etc kindly carry them along
Let your doctor know if you react to any drugs
Be truthful about any medications you have taken for the condition, if you do not remember the names make sure you go with the containers
If you have any other medical conditions (and medication) make the doctor aware
Remember to make a note of the following
1. When did the symptoms/complaint begin?
1. How long have you had these symptoms?
1. Is it getting worse?
1. Does anything make the condition worse?
1. What makes you feel better?
1. Is anything related to their onset?
1. How often does it occur?
1. How long does it last e.g. in pain conditions as well as rash, allergies etc
1. Does anyone else in your family have them?
1. How do they affect your daily life?
1. Is it related to work or home?

You may need to modify these slightly when you have skin lesions, swellings etc. This list is by no means exhaustive, and you may not need to find answers to all of them before getting help, but they will definitely help you ace the visit to your doctor.

If your doctor books you for surgery, do not leave his presence without finding out the following:

Will you go home on the same day of the surgery?
Will you need assistance to go home or can you drive unsupervised for instance
What form of anaesthesia will you be given?

Then, if your visit is for a medical examination, do remember that also being aware of disease conditions in your family will help your doctor select the appropriate tests and make the whole experience and time useful.

See you in the consulting room soon.

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd (HE&W Group)

(dressel@healthessentialsgh.com)

*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is an ISSA Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Fitness Nutrition and Corrective Exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’

Thought for the week – “The next big thing in Healthcare in Ghana is the Medics Clinic. Visit https://medicsgroupgh.com/ for more information.”

References:

By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials

This Valentine’s weekend renew your energy

t is quite common to hear people complain about a lack of energy, fatigue, foggy brain and a host of others. The real danger is the accidents and errors that this situation may cause, and quite often many people suffer the consequences.

There is NO quick fix for renewing your energy, but it doesn’t take an effort akin to manning a spaceship to achieve this. Over the past few years, I have been a huge proponent of Greenscription. This essentially involves PRESCRIBING everyday lifestyle modifications that make us the best version of ourselves. Definitely every human will occasionally have a bad day, but we can minimise these and enjoy life.

Yes, you may need a supplement sometimes or require medication to correct or treat a condition, but we will all feel more energised if we practice the steps below. Remember “one healthy choice is ALWAYS followed by another”, start slowly and add on. We all have what it takes.

1. Learn new things: yes, we all need to. Avoid rut. What are you learning now?

2. Simplify things: no need to complicate things. If it appears too complicated its either you don’t understand it or you are on the wrong path

3. Think positively: your cells are listening to you at all times. Speak positive words

4. Eat healthy food: we are what we eat. I am sure people powered by unhealthy, refined food-like substances is definitely the wrong “fuel”

a. I believe you know water is an essential component of your food. Drink adequate amounts.

5. Socialise: we are no islands. DO NOT isolate yourselves. We derive energy from people but avoid energy sappers. They will drain you to death.

6. Meditate: allow your brain to rest

7. Move and play: Exercise and play happen to be one of the few things that provide instant results. When did you last take a walk outdoors or join friends to play a game of table tennis or other.

8. Be grateful: Gratitude appears too simple to be real BUT it is a game changer

9. Enjoy sunlight: very few things beat sunlight. Little wonder seasons with limited sunlight have high numbers of people with mental health challenges

10. Spend time in nature: the sound of water, rocks, greenery. They have amazing benefits. Spend time in nature and do it often. You may even create your own at home or at the workplace.

11. Music is life; but it needs to be the right type.

12. Get enough sleep: It all starts with Sleep, and it ought to be restful. If you have sleep apnoea you may be doing yourself a disfavour. If you snore, talk to your doctor and get the appropriate tests done.

13. REST – Even the Almighty God rested. Not because He needed it BUT he had to set an example for us. Sometimes we just need to sit and “do nothing” or get creative or cut out the noise.

Do put these into practice and next week we will delve into what we need to avoid to remain energised.

This Valentine’s weekend, renew your energy and continue with the tips that will ensure you remain the best version of yourself.

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr Kojo Cobba Essel

Health Essentials Ltd (HE&W Group)

(dressel@healthessentialsgh. com)

Thought for the week – “The next big thing in Healthcare in Ghana is the Medics Clinic from Medics Group & Health Essentials. Send me an email at dressel@healthessentialsgh.com for more information.”

References:

1. Culled from Mental Health on LinkedIn

By Dr Kojo Cobba Essel