Pebble Beach, CA Obesity A Serious Issue : Increases Odds Of Cancer, Diabetes And Heart Disease

At Family inHome Caregiving, we make sure our senior clients get plenty of social stimulation, exercise and healthy meals.  It's important to keep both the mind and body healthy as we age.  Many seniors get depressed as they age.  Friends and spouses pass away, they can't do the things they used to do, and they sometimes feel lost and alone.  This can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, which often results in gaining weight.  This can spiral into more problems, as the senior then may have mobility issues, and being overweight can also lead to diabetes, heart disease and other health issues.  Unfortunately, the number of American adults who are 100 or more pounds over a healthy weight has soared since 2000 according to a recent study.  In 2010, about 6.6% of U.S. adults were severely obese (about 15.5 million), that's up from just 3.9% in 2000 according to a report from RAND Corporation.  And these are just people that are classified as severely obese.  About two-thirds of all Americans are considered either overweight or obese.  These are staggering numbers.   The government is now paying attention to these numbers as they try to cut health care costs because overweight seniors will cost the Medicare system more dollars.  "Moderate obesity increases health care costs by 20% to 30% compared to those at a healthy weight, where severe obesity more than doubles health care costs," Roland Sturm, a senior economist at RAND Corporation, told USA Today.  I am glad to see more attention being focused on this important issue as it will impact all of us.