All too often, older adults do not take the necessary steps to prevent health problems before they start. Just a few annual preventative health measures, such as getting a flu shot, can reduce illness and result in other significant health benefits. Talk to your loved one and his or her physician about whether or not the following actions could help improve your loved one's health.
- A daily aspirin to prevent heart attacks and stroke (in men over 40 and women over 50).
- Screening and brief counseling by doctors on use of tobacco products.
- Routine colorectal-cancer screening (for adults 50 and older by any recognized method).
- Hypertension screening via routine blood-pressure tests and medication (if necessary).
- Annual flu shots (for adults 50 and older).
- Immunization of adults 65 and older against bacteria that cause pneumonia and related diseases.
- Screening and brief counseling of problem drinkers by their physicians.
- Vision screening (for adults 65 and older).
- Cervical cancer screening (for sexually active women and women over 21).
- Cholesterol screening (for men 35 and older and women 45 and older).
- Routine breast-cancer screening (for women 50 and older and discussion with women ages 40 to 49 to set an age to begin screening).
- Calcium-supplement counseling (for adolescent girls and women).
- Obesity screening (for adults) and high-intensity diet and exercise counseling (for the obese).
- Depression screening (for adults).
- Hearing-impairment screening (for adults 65 and over).
Many of these preventative measures are overlooked by more than half of the people who could benefit from them. If you would like to learn more about the annual vaccination and health precautions your loved one should be taking, contact the care experts at Independence-4-Seniors in the Chicago area at (630) 323-4665.