The Importance of Healthy Longevity: Why Being Healthy Matters for You and Your Family

I watched the people around me struggle with a long battle against the disease. It’s not just me and my family’s hardships. Families who have devotedly cared for patients become exhausted if the care is prolonged. People who have had exceptionally strong love for their family are afraid that the affectionate feelings will disappear. Even if I have no choice but to choose a nursing hospital, I do not feel comfortable. The old adage, ‘there is no filial son in a long illness’, is currently in progress.

“I want to die peacefully in my sleep”… Older people often say things like this. It won’t be a passing word, it will be sincere. Now that I am middle-aged, I think the same way. More than anything, I don’t want to burden my family. It’s terrifying to imagine how hard she is struggling to take care of me. However, he becomes ill and is reluctant to go to a nursing hospital. It’s not entirely a matter of my choice, but it’s unavoidable that it’s human nature.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization (WHO), 30% of cancer deaths are caused by smoking, 30% by food, and 10-25% by chronic infections. In addition, occupation, genetics, drinking, hormones, radiation, and environmental pollution are involved in about 1-5%. According to the WHO, one third of cancers can be prevented through smoking cessation, diet control, and exercise, and one third can be cured through early detection and treatment.

Even if you are careful about your lifestyle, illness can come suddenly. There are many diseases whose causes are unknown. There are still many people suffering from an unknown disease. Genetics (family history) usually looks at the disease situation of immediate family members such as parents, brothers, and sisters. If the father had colorectal cancer, the risk of colorectal cancer in sons and daughters is about 5%. However, it is more helpful if you think about the diseases of your grandfather and grandmother. According to the National Cancer Information Center, in the case of pancreatic cancer, there are cases in which patients have been diagnosed with three generations: grandfather, father, and son.

Cancer, dementia, and stroke (cerebral infarction-cerebral hemorrhage) are representative diseases that have a long fighting period and large sequelae. In particular, strokes, which are on the rise these days, endanger life and are a frightening disease that leaves body paralysis, language impairment, and visual impairment. If the paralysis of the body is severe, the help of the people around you is desperate. If you can’t even go to the bathroom by yourself, you need an attendant. If the patient becomes irritable during this process, it can be more difficult for the caregiver.

Pain is the most painful thing for patients. Even if cancer is discovered at an early stage, 30 to 50% of people experience pain during the cancer itself or during chemotherapy. If cancer is detected late, the pain is more severe. 60-70% of patients with advanced cancer and 80-90% of patients with terminal cancer may not be able to sleep at night due to severe pain. The patient suffers from physical and mental pain, and the quality of life of the family who cares for them is inevitably reduced.

When the body is sick, everyone experiences mental stress. In particular, the impact of the word ‘cancer patient’ is beyond imagination. I feel less fear of death than I used to, but cancer is still cancer. Cancer patients experience fluctuating emotions as they go through various processes such as diagnosis and treatment, side effects and complications. From cancer diagnosis to treatment, “Why me?” You think, “People who haven’t had cancer can’t understand me.” He suppresses his emotions and sometimes bursts them out, making it difficult for people around him.

The patient’s emotional ups and downs and stress are directly transmitted to the closest person. I get annoyed because I am sick, and my family, who used to accept this well, react when I suffer for a long time. It is also difficult to physically serve, but the patient’s frequent tantrums and anger add to the mental stress. This situation will be even worse for families who face dementia patients every day.

According to the Central Dementia Center, about 890,000 people, more than 10% of the population aged 65 or older in Korea, suffer from dementia (as of 2021). It is expected to exceed 1 million by 2024. The proportion of women among dementia patients is about 62%, nearly twice that of men (38%). Studies have shown that as female hormones (estrogen), which protected brain nerve cells when young, disappear with menopause, problems with cognitive functions such as memory arise due to abnormal nerve cells.

These days, a healthy lifespan (healthy longevity) is attracting attention rather than simply living a long life. Even if you live to be 100 years old, the meaning of longevity disappears if you are sick and bedridden for a long time. The pain of the closest family has no choice but to follow. The WHO’s study that 30% of cancer deaths are from smoking and 30% from food also applies to strokes. When my body is healthy, my family is comfortable. Think again. “Can I die comfortably without getting sick?”