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Health at 78
What is due at 78: Your seventies — sleep 7-8 h, protein 1.0-1.2 g/kg, plus the screenings and checks of the decade.
Your seventies
Falls become the defining risk: one in three people over seventy falls each year, and a hip fracture changes the trajectory. Muscle and bone loss compound, appetite and thirst signals weaken, and medication lists reach their peak length — polypharmacy is itself a diagnosis.
| Your numbers at 78 | Value |
|---|---|
| Sleep need | 7-8 h |
| Protein target | 1.0-1.2 g/kg |
| Estimated max heart rate | 142 bpm (220 − age) |
Screenings due this decade
- Blood pressure yearly — including a standing measurement, because falls often start as a pressure drop on standing.
- Glucose and lipids on the individual schedule; bowel screening to 74.
- Vision and hearing yearly — uncorrected either is a fall risk.
- Vaccinations — flu yearly, and the pneumococcal and shingles vaccines where the national programme offers them.
Checks worth doing
- The fall risk triad: leg strength, balance, and medication review — every year.
- Protein at every meal — appetite is smaller, so the protein density has to be higher.
- Hydration — the thirst signal fades; a visible water routine replaces it.
The seventies reward the same three habits as every decade before, just with less margin: keep moving against resistance, keep protein high, keep the medication list short and reviewed. The difference now is that the consequence of stopping is measured in months, not decades.
Act on it
- Your calorie and protein needs — the calculator turns the grams into food.
- Fitness reference values — the tests behind the checks.
- Blood test reference ranges — what the results mean.
Reference, not medical advice. Follow your national screening programme's invitations and your clinician's schedule — this page summarises the published recommendations, it does not replace them.