Published in the Tulsa World 09/23/2009.

Glenda Armstrong is the Clinical Manager of Program Development.

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A fellow nurse and co-worker announced the other day that September is Healthy Aging Month. She knew I just turned 55 and figured I’d better start paying attention to monthly observances that focus on the silver set.
In spite of the fact that I had spent the last 25 years working with older adults, I had never heard of this one, so I googled. I learned Healthy Aging Month was created by the Educational Television Network over 15 years ago to promote the positive aspects of aging.
According to Carolyn Worthington, president of Educational Television Network, Inc., "we see a need to draw attention to the 'myths' of aging, to shout out – "hey, it’s not too late to take control of your health."
And their website is full of information on healthy diet and lifestyle choices to help us do just that. In fact, there is information all over the place to help us live lean and mean.
You’d had to have lived on Venus for the last 20 years not to know daily inhalation of cheeseburgers and fries clogs up your arteries, raises you blood pressure and eventually makes you fat. We know we should eat more fruits and veggies and whole grains. We know we should quit smoking. We also know that exercise is good for us on sooooooo many levels.
We know all of these things but for some strange reason, collectively we are getting heavier, sicker and less able to lift our tooshies off the couch.
I have found that scolding and berating aren’t particularly motivating for me or anyone else. Most people, including older adults want to “take control” and make healthy choices but are often frustrated by unique challenges. Many times for example, the meals on a prescribed diet plan do not take into account a person’s culture or food preferences. Exercising in water may be great when you have arthritis in your hips and knees but what if you don’t drive and the nearest pool is 40 miles away? It is hard to take control when the information and choices don’t make sense in real life.
Not surprisingly, studies on this subject show that when health care providers shift the focus to discovering what works and doesn’t work for the individual, outcomes are much better.
This approach is called person-centered and it recognizes that each of us is in control of our own lives and we deserve relevant information to make informed choices.
Here is a personal example. Several years ago, I told a doctor I wanted to quit smoking but I had tried and failed many times. He gave me a stern look and shouted, "Don’t you know smoking will kill you???" (uh, no, I guessed I missed that one) .
Last year, I brought it up again, with my current doc. She didn’t judge or shame me. Instead, she praised my attempts, asked about my concerns and about what helped and what didn’t. She helped me find the tools and supports that fit my life. She helped me take control.
So as I think about Healthy Aging Month, I’m thinking about what really does and what really doesn’t help me or the older adults I work with, take control of our health. It doesn’t help to hear what we and the rest of the world already know, it doesn’t help to use patronizing clichés that start with "You are never too old to…" and it really doesn’t help to get exercise handouts that have a photo of a young lithe woman twisted like pretzel into a yoga position that my artificial knee will never allow me to do.
It does help however, to ask about our goals, needs and preferences. It does help to discuss the barriers we identify; and it does help to receive information that is relevant to our particular situation. That’s what truly helps. At any age. All twelve months of the year.