Black/African American Older Adults: A Guide To Managing Your Health

Smoking is the most common cause of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, and sleep apnea in Black/African Americans. 

If you smoke, please try to quit and stay away from people who are smoking. Air pollution also can make your breathing worse.

Medications and exercise can improve your breathing. Healthcare professionals and pharmacists can show you how to use your inhalers correctly.

Black/African American people are more likely to die from cancer than other racial and ethnic groups. The reasons include receiving fewer cancer screenings and treatments and discrimination in health care. Breast, lung, prostate, and colon cancers are the most common.

Discovering cancer early leads to better results. So:

• Discuss new symptoms with your healthcare professional. If you don’t, cancer can be harder to find and treat.

• Make an appointment with your healthcare professional quickly if you experience any of the following: feeling a lump in your breast, finding blood in your urine or feces, or developing new shortness of breath, a long-lasting cough, or coughing up blood.
• Ask your healthcare professional to screen for cancer so it can be found earlier.

Avoiding alcohol, stopping smoking, and eating a diet low in salt and fat can decrease your risk of getting cancer. So can exercise and having a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables.

Diabetes causes high blood sugar levels and leads to other health problems, including damage to your eyes, kidneys, and heart. Diabetes can get worse if you eat unhealthy food, do little exercise, or are overweight or obese.

Talk with your healthcare professional about how to eat healthier, exercise, and take the medications you
may need. Some tips include:

• Decrease carbohydrates in your diet, such as white bread and pasta
• Eat more vegetables and low-calorie foods
• Drink water (preferred) or sugar-free beverages instead of sugary beverages
• Increase your exercise. It is recommended to exercise for 30 minutes per day, five days a week, but any amount of physical activity is good for your health.

Your healthcare professional will check your blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and kidney function. You need to check your feet daily and report any skin problems to your healthcare professional immediately. You need to have your eyes checked every 1 to 2 years.

Memory loss and dementia are not a normal part of aging. Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia are the most common types of dementia.  Vascular dementia is due to changes in the blood vessels in the brain that happen when a person has hypertension, and/or diabetes, and/or high cholesterol for many years.

At the beginning of most dementias, people forget things that happened within the last week or month. This is called short-term memory loss. People with dementia also may ask the same questions over and over. However, their long-term memory can still be very good.

As a person’s dementia gets worse, they have difficulty doing activities like driving, taking their medications, and paying bills. Their behavior can also change. Eventually, a person with dementia will need help with daily activities like eating, bathing, and dressing.

Some health conditions increase the risk of dementia. These include diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, depression, smoking, and hearing loss. Doing little exercise also can increase your risk of getting dementia.

If you or a loved one has symptoms of dementia, talk to your healthcare professional. They can determine whether dementia or another health problem is causing problems. The professional can also prescribe treatments that could slow dementia down. Your healthcare professional and social workers can connect you to these treatments and other resources.

Getting older doesn’t always lead to depression or severe sadness. These conditions can be caused by chemical changes in the brain that can be common as we get older.

Depression is a serious health condition and can lead to other health problems. Symptoms of depression can include:  

• Feeling sad, tired, or irritable
• Lacking interest in hobbies and activities you used to enjoy
• Having trouble sleeping or sleeping too long
• Having a poor appetite
• Being confused or having problems with thinking (these symptoms can appear to be dementia)

If you have symptoms of depression or have thoughts of hurting yourself or others, talk to your healthcare professional as soon as you can. They can recommend counseling and medications. Family members and friends can support you when you are depressed.

Sometimes, shame prevents Black/African Americans from getting mental health care. However, depression is a disease that needs treatment. Medications and behavior therapy can help.

If you or a loved one is dying or has a fatal illness, you need to discuss your health care choices with your healthcare professional. It is even better to discuss these choices before a health crisis happens. Your healthcare professionals need to know if you want to:

• Have intense medical care when ill
• Avoid do not resuscitate (DNR) orders or any other routine medical orders that would limit your medical care when dying.

Your risk of having a heart attack or stroke is higher if you have high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetes, obesity, smoking, or do litte physical activity. 

Eating foods low in fat and salt is important. So is eating lots of fruits and vegetables and little meat and few sweets. Limit the alcohol you drink to one drink per day for women and two for men.

Other things can reduce your risks. These include exercising daily, quitting smoking, controlling blood pressure, and taking recommended medications. Talk to your healthcare professional about how to reduce your risks and follow their advice.

Be aware of immediate risks to your health. 

If you have chest pain and/or shortness of breath, you might be having a heart attack. If so, you must call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away. 

Strokes happen when the brain’s blood supply is blocked or stopped. Brain cells can die within minutes. If you have trouble speaking, weakness on one side of your body, severe headache, or loss of vision or balance you need to call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away.

Eating more food than your body needs can make you overweight or obese. You can gain weight if you eat foods high in fat and sugar or drink sugary drinks. Getting little exercise and having sleep problems can also cause you to gain weight.

Being overweight or obese can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease, sleep apnea (problems with breathing during sleep), and even cancer. Obesity can also make breathing worse and cause more arthritis pain and problems with walking.

Talk to your healthcare professional about losing weight and improving your fitness and quality of life. Some ways to lose weight include:

• Stop eating unhealthy food and eat more fruits and vegetables. Decrease how much you eat by 500 calories each day. A dietitian (a person trained in healthy nutrition) can evaluate what you usually eat and help you create a healthier diet.
• Walk or do a similar type of exercise for 30 minutes a day most days. Resistance exercises such as lifting weights are important to avoid losing muscle as you age.
• Get help by joining a Silver Sneakers exercise program. Some insurance programs will pay for it. Or, see a physical therapist who can create a good exercise plan with you. Free exercise videos can be found on the internet. They can help you create an exercise program at home.

Preventing or discovering disease can limit damage to your body. Seeing your healthcare professional at least once a year will help you discover diseases early so that they are easier to treat and you have better results.

Your healthcare professional will discuss preventive healthcare with you. For example:

• Cancer screenings are important. Some common screening tests are mammograms, prostate exams, and colonoscopies.
• Vaccinations, including flu, pneumonia, shingles, and COVID-19 shots, can prevent serious infections. If you are concerned about getting vaccinations, ask your healthcare professional for more information.
• Let your healthcare professional and pharmacists know if you take home remedies, herbs, vitamins, or supplements. These professionals can help make sure these remedies are safe with your other medications and treatments.

Smoking causes health problems:

• Tobacco has chemicals that are bad for your health. They can cause cancer, lung disease, high blood pressure, and strokes.
• Marijuana can cause the heart to beat faster and increase blood pressure.
• E-cigarettes (vaping) and smokeless tobacco (chewing gum, snuff tobacco) also cause serious health problems.
• Your family and friends breathe in your smoke and can get health problems from second-hand smoke. For example, children who live with people who smoke can develop asthma.

Older adults who quit can improve their health. However, it can be hard to stop. Get help by:

• Talking with your healthcare professional about ways to quit smoking.
• Calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW. It is a toll-free number operated by the National Cancer Institute that will connect you directly to your state’s tobacco quit line support system.
• Taking medications that can help you stop smoking.

Your healthcare team can include physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, nursing assistants, social workers, pharmacists, therapists, and others. Each team member has special training to help you in different ways.

Your healthcare team will want to know about you, your culture, and what is important to you! You will receive the best care by sharing your cultural beliefs and health care practices. These beliefs and practices can affect your health and healthcare treatments. See the Tip Sheet on Cultural Considerations when Communicating with Your Healthcare Team for helpful suggestions.

Note that if you have immigrated to the United States, your immigration history may be an important part of your personal story. If your healthcare professional knows your history, that will let them know if you have an increased risk of diseases that are common in other countries. It will also help your healthcare professional to know how much access you had to health care before coming to the United States. This information can be sensitive, but we encourage you to share this with your healthcare professional.