Perhaps one of the intriguing things about the human body is that, like a machine, its parts and functions deteriorate with age, and the human brain is no exception. With his experience as a geriatrician, interaction with senior citizens, and understanding of the natural shrinkage in brain capacity for information, Dr David Dai Lok-kwan, Consultant Geriatrician of the Department of Medicine & Therapeutics at Prince of Wales Hospital, has devised the idea of the Three Key Aspects of Health.

Physical, Emotional and Cognitive Health

"Three is the number of things an average person's attention span can afford him/her to memorise without mistake at a time, which explains my selection of three aspects of health, namely 'physical', 'emotional' and 'cognitive', to help senior citizens or retirees achieve without straining too much of their memory," said Dr Dai, who added that these three aspects of health are interdependent with each other, and are of equal importance in the maintenance of holistic health.

Varying Degree of Interdependency

While the physical, cognitive and emotional aspects of health are interdependent with each other, the level of interdependency varies across different stages of life. According to Dr Dai, the stage of 55-65 years old is when we should start paying attention to these three aspects of health. "This is a stage of life where most of us still dedicate our time and energy to work, with some holding important positions in their companies, yet it is also from 55 years old onwards that we undergo escalated emotional fluctuations of which we should be aware, as people in this age group generally have children still in their 20s or early 30s, elderly parents in their 80s or 90s, and they have a retirement life to plan ahead, which includes financial planning as well.

Physical health is an aspect we tend to neglect at this stage as we are still physically fit to handle daily tasks, though ironically enough, physical reserve is what we really should be building during this stage." And part of the maintenance of the physique includes appropriate diet, exercise and medication to treat or prevent diseases and conditions such as high blood pressure, pre-diabetes and high cholesterol, which are common in people of this age group, as well as paying attention to recessive diseases the likes of heart attack and diabetes.

Whilst most would regard 55-65 years as the immediate pre-retirement period, Dr Dai advises active planning for an extension of work capacity in the next decade of life. "Many may opt for volunteering after they have retired, but the question remains that whether volunteering alone is sufficient in maintaining the three aspects of health, especially in cognitive health. An alternative would be contemplating about a second or even third career that utilises your own expertise. The re-entry of retirees to the work force is a good idea as, despite the decline in brain function, which is part of the natural course of ageing, senior citizens in their 60s still have a rather well preserved crystallised intelligence – a lifetime of intellectual achievement demonstrated through one's vocabulary, numeracy and general knowledge gained from experience. In other words, crystallised intelligence improves with age, as the longer one lives, the more experiences one would gain."

Importance of Social Engagement

Yet whether you have an extended career planned, the stage of 65-75 years and after is a time of noticeable physical decline, deserving of vigilance on symptoms of Parkinson's disease, heart attack, minor stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and complications of diabetes. "At this stage, diseases and illnesses that didn't use to occur to you would become very real and sudden, so be sure to have your body checked regularly (every year or half-year) to keep an eye out for abnormal changes in your body weight, heartbeat, blood pressure and blood glucose."

And the same sea change is notable in the cognitive and emotional health as well, mainly because of social detachment in this post-retirement stage. "Post-retirement life often entails decreased social engagement, which we tend to take for granted during our active employment years. By all means engage yourself in social activities such as volunteering and learn new things to stay connected to the ever-changing world. It would be a great idea to offer your expertise as a consultant, or organise hobby groups with friends from different professions to increase the breadth and depth of your knowledge to maintain cognitive and emotional health."

The stage of 55-65 years is about individual development where time and energy is directed to work commitment, self-perfection and planning for a possible second or third career in retirement years, while the decade that follows is manifested in a more collective manner in terms of realisation of goals and dreams. In any case, maintenance of the three aspects of health is the best strategy to achieve a healthy and happy retirement.


Special Thanks:
Dr David Dai Lok-kwan, Consultant Geriatrician of Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital