News :: Opinion
Florida's Seniors Need A Dose Of Prevention To Promote Better Health
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Published: June 23, 2008
As a member of the Florida House of Representatives for the last 5 1/2 years, I have served on the Healthcare Council and as vice chairman of the Healthy Seniors Committee. We have passed many vital and beneficial pieces of legislation to help seniors in Florida.
During the 2008 session we passed legislation making health insurance more affordable, encouraging the use of AEDs (automated external defibrillators), expanding dental care for Medicaid clients, providing funding to help seniors stay in their homes and increasing penalties for abuse of seniors and disabled people.
Today I would like to discuss the name of our committee, "Healthy Seniors." My staff and I have recently investigated various statistics regarding health and the aging process and would like to share them with you.
Our country spends more money on health care per capita than any other country in the world and ranks only 18th in the healthy-people category - longevity. Health care is defined as medical research, technology, facilities and equipment, analysis, and treatment of people.
I have concluded that we should spend more money on prevention and healthy lifestyles than we currently do in Florida.
In keeping with a healthy seniors theme, we have created a list of important factors for aging Floridians to consider in order to have the best quality of life possible: Don't smoke, lose weight, eat fruits and vegetables, reduce salt and fat intake, manage stress, increase physical and mental exercise, get adequate sleep, have annual physical examinations and take only prescribed amounts of prescription drugs.
I would like to provide you with some information on factor No. 1 - don't smoke.
The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 438,000 deaths, or nearly 1 of every 5, each year in the United States. Fractures in the hip region can occur more frequently as a result of long-term smoking, which tends to make bones fragile.
Smoking is one of the main contributors to eye cataracts, and it also has been linked to causing pulmonary disease and cancer in various parts of the body.
From 1995-99, smoking caused approximately 440,000 premature deaths in the United States annually, leading to 13.2 years of potential life lost for male smokers and 14.5 years for female smokers.
By quitting, you gain power and resistance to colds, cough and flu, and improvement in blood circulation. The source of this information is www.stop-smoking-updates
.com.
For information on the Healthy Seniors Committee or other state issues, please contact my district office at (727) 943-4760.
The writer, a Dunedin Republican, represents District 45, which includes part of Pasco County, in the state House of Representatives.
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