Page 14 ffl’‘|JortIanb (.Observer luly 14, 2010 H ealth Prioritize Age-Related Care L arry L ucas M any o f us fo­ cus on th e w rinkles and gray hair that are an un­ avoidable part o f the aging process. But with age also com es w isdom and know ledge gained through a lifetime o f experience. As I look tow ard my ow n retirement, I want to be able to enjoy time with my fam i ly and friends, and share som e o f my own life les­ sons with the next generations. In order to ensure that I - and other seniors in our com m unity - have many healthy years ahead, we need to be certain that proper care for chronic aging-related diseases is a priority. by Across the country, more than 11 million African A m erican children grow up with a grandparent in the home. This dynam ic can present a trem endous opportunity for differ­ ent generations to learn from one tothe A lzheim er’s A ssociation, these taking your m edicine regularly. It is another, and for grandparents to be factors m ay account for som e o f the im portant to keep a list o f your m edi- a c tiv e ly in v o lv e d in th e ir d if f e r e n c e s in p re v a le n c e o f cines, in clu d in g n o n -p rescrip tio n grandchildren’s lives. M any o f my A lz h e im e r’s am o n g o th e r racial m edicines, and give the list to each friends have had more fun being a groups: African Americans are nearly d o cto r you consult. G iv e a copy to grandparent than they did raising tw ic e as lik e ly to s u ffe r fro m a fam ily m em b eras w ell, and update their ow n children! But chronic dis­ A lzheim er’s as their w hite counter- it every tim e you visit y o u r do cto r or eases that disproportionately affect parts. get a new prescription. Let your A frican A m erican seniors, like high blood pressure and arthritis, can rob grandparents o f this precious oppor­ tunity. M ost A frican A m erican seniors have at least one chronic condition and m any have m ultiple conditions, according the D epartm ent o f Health and Human Services. A m ong the m ost frequently occurring chronic conditions are high blood pressure and diabetes. Both o f these chronic diseases are m ore com m on in older African A m ericans than older whites, and they are also know n risk factors for A lzheim er’s disease. A ccording Most African American seniors have at least one chronic condition and many have multiple conditions, according the Department o f Health and Human Services. Though w e c a n ’t control aging, we can take steps to m anage chronic aging-related diseases. To m anage conditions like hypertension and dia­ betes, it’s so im portant to follow your d o c to r’s reco m m en d atio n s - this m eans exercising, eating right and d o cto r know about any illnesses or co n d itio n s for w hich an o th er d o c ­ to r o r health care professional is treatin g you. A s w e g et older, it's ju s t as im ­ p ortant to keep our m inds active as it is o u r bodies. Social en g ag em en t w ith fam ily and friends and p artici­ pating in m en tally stim u lating a c ­ tivities can help seniors stay healthy and m ight also help to reduce the ris k o f c o g n itiv e d e c lin e a n d A lz h eim er’s disease, according to The N ational Institute on A ging. T hese are sim ple steps w e can take to en su re a high q u ality o f life through o u r g olden years. For patients w ho need help ac­ cessing their prescription m edicines to m anage aging-related diseases, the Partnership for Prescription A s­ sistance is available to help. For five years, PPA has helped connect 6.5 m illion patients in need to program s that provide either free or nearly free medicines. For m ore inform ation, pa­ tients can call 1-888-4PPA -N O W or visitp p arx .o rg. Larry Lucas is a vice president for Pharm aceutical Research and M anu­ facturers o f A m erica. New Birth Control Option: Planned Parenthood offers procedure P1