Health promotion and disease prevention in the older adult.

Lengthened life expectancy, along with the increased chance that much time in late life may be spent with disabilities and terminal dependency, suggests the need for increased efforts in health promotion and disease prevention in elderly persons. Both goals can be achieved, partly through programs that stress both screening and early detection of some diseases, such as cancer, and decreasing the risk factors of others, such as hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. Efforts also need to be addressed at other common sources of disability and dysfunction like osteoporosis, falls, and fractures. Exercise is an important factor in such programs in order to extend active life expectancy and enhance vigor in later life. Habitual exercise is, however, one of the least prevalent of all the health promotion activities. A carefully designed exercise program that includes education about the reasons for exercise, as well as the proper methods of exercise, could considerably change the health profile of the individual patient and the increasing population over age 65 in this country.