Chapter IV
Your 60s and beyond — independence is the prize
The goal is not merely living longer—it is retaining mobility, cognition, and agency. Falls, polypharmacy, and untreated hearing loss steal those quietly.
Mobility & falls
Leg strength and balance drills reduce fall risk—tai chi, resistance bands, single-leg stands supervised. Review home hazards: rugs, poor lighting, absent grab bars.
Medication review
Annual brown-bag review with pharmacist or doctor: duplicates, sedating antihistamines, NSAID overuse, supplement interactions. Deprescribing when appropriate prevents confusion and falls.
Senses matter
Hearing loss correlates with social isolation and cognitive decline—aid use is functional, not vanity. Vision updates prevent driving errors and falls.
Continue cancer screening
Colon, prostate, skin, and sometimes lung surveillance continue per prior findings and life expectancy discussions—personalized, not one-size.