Healthy Aging
Healthy Aging: At any age
What does healthy aging mean for you, your family, and your community?
Healthy aging can prevent, delay, or help you better manage chronic disease. Our healthy aging programs and services are free or low cost.
What is healthy aging?
The World Health Organization and Health Canada say that healthy aging is "a lifelong process of opportunities for improving and preserving health and physical, social and mental wellness, independence, quality of life, and enhancing successful life-course transitions".
Healthy aging is about your overall, life-long health journey. It includes your physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health needs.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Provincial Government's Healthy Aging Policy Framework and Implementation Plan supports healthy aging in our province, and guided our Healthy Aging Strategy at Central Health.
Many of today's seniors are living in better health. When we talk about health, we talk about more than physical health. We look at your overall health and well-being.
Our population is getting smaller and our residents are aging.
Central Health's population is aging faster than anywhere else in the province.
In 2010, 25% of health region residents were 55 years of age and older.
Central Health's Healthy Aging Strategy focuses on:
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Building healthy public policies
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Creating supportive environments
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Strengthening community action
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Developing personal skills, and
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Reorienting health services
Our Aging Advisory Council chose 3 priorities for the next 3 years (2017-2020).
1 Supportive Communities
We will work with our partners to enhance the role that communities play in supporting an aging population.
2 Health and Well-Being
We will work with you, your families, and our partners to help you have the best possible physical, emotional, social, mental, and spiritual health and well-being as you age.
3 Recognition of Older Persons
We will work with our partners to increase society's respect and regard for older persons.
What affects how healthy you are as you age?
Lots of things can shape how healthy you are. You begin to age as soon as you're born, so the decisions you make earlier in life can affect your quality and length of life. Activities and choices like the food you eat, physical activity, medication use, substance abuse, and smoking can affect your health as you age.
Healthy aging where you live.
Housing options in our health region include seniors apartments, seniors cottages, personal care homes, long-term care units, and nursing homes.
In Central Health, over 1500 seniors, adults with physical disabilities, and adults with intellectual disabilities are living at home with supports.
Our Healthy Aging Strategy is part of our commitment to our vision
of healthy people and healthy communities.