Preventative care: a guide for seniors and family caregivers

Preventative care is one of the most important steps to keeping everyone healthy. That can mean regular immunizations and wellness checks. For example, you can get regularly scheduled vaccines; schedule screenings for common diseases, conditions and cancer; and create a healthier and more joyful lifestyle — all habits that can ensure better well-being.

It’s a good idea to join your family member for their appointments with health care providers to determine what the necessary steps are to help improve their health and protect them against sickness or injury.

Here are some ways to practice good preventative care: 

Schedule regular screenings for common diseases and conditions

According to the National Institute of Aging, the most beneficial thing you and your loved one can do in a doctor’s appointment is to be their notetaker. Make a list of all the questions you might have with regards to medical testing and a list of conditions that run in your family. Help make sure these questions are answered, and take notes.

As a starting point, people 65 and older can ask their primary care physicians about the following tests:

• High blood pressure. Make sure your loved one’s health care provider checks their blood pressure once a year. This can help reduce chances of a heart attack and stroke.
• Weight. Your loved one can work with their doctor to maintain a healthy weight, which will help prevent risks for heart disease and diabetes.
• Vision. See the eye doctor for an examination once a year to keep vision strong and detect early signs of conditions like cataracts, presbyopia, temporal arteritis, dry eyes, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.
• Hearing. Hearing loss can happen with age, but like glasses for vision, modern hearing aids can provide tailor-made correction for your specific hearing deficits. That makes a world of a difference and helps your loved one feel more connected with the world around them.
• Diabetes. If high blood pressure, obesity or cholesterol are concerns, then blood tests should be scheduled once every one to three years to ensure minimize the risk for diabetes. Exercising and eating healthy can also help decrease the risk.
• Depression. It’s important for doctors to ask questions about general mood and emotional being at least once a year. Depression can be common in older adults.
• Dementia and cognitive impairment. Make sure your loved one’s provider is periodically doing memory tests to see if any other testing should be done for cognitive impairment.

Call your loved one’s health care provider to learn what diseases and/or conditions they might need to be tested for.

Schedule and receive screenings and tests for cancer

It’s recommended that your loved one receive screenings for common cancers for doctors to detect it early.

• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Lung cancer

Schedule and receive vaccinations

A person’s immune system can weaken with age, which is why many older adults are at an increased risk for diseases. Luckily, many of these diseases can be prevented, or severity can be lessened with vaccines. Your primary care doctor can inform you as to how often your loved one should get vaccinated and whether any additional ones are necessary. Here are the following recommended vaccinations:

• Influenza
• COVID-19 
• Pneumonia
• Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis
• Shingles 

Eliminate risks for disease 

• Quit smoking. Quitting smoking can increase one’s life expectancy and lower risks of heart disease and some cancers, as well as improve overall lung function and blood circulation.
• Moderate alcohol use. Limiting alcohol use can help your loved one’s current medication (if they take any) be more effective and can also prevent risks of bleeding in the stomach, memory loss, sleep problems and liver disease.
• Increase exercise. Physical activity can help treat and prevent many diseases and is excellent for better lung function and overall circulation. If your loved one has a difficult time performing more strenuous activities like jumping or muscle strengthening, then they can try such things as moderate walking, cleaning the house, gardening and tai chi. If you loved one can perform more intense physical activities without strain, they can try: yoga, working out with resistance bands and/or weights, brisk walking and swimming.
• Eat a healthy diet. A healthy diet can be delicious and easy. A well-balanced diet should include whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and poultry and low-fat dairy. Meal-prepping saves time and makes balanced eating easier.

Follow the necessary steps for preventing injury

• Remove fall risks, have your loved one’s health care providers do an evaluation to check balance, walking ability, bone health, speed and heart health so they know how to take extra care.
• Make sure your loved one gets their hearing and vision checked.
• If your loved one needs, arrange for them to see a physical therapist to work on strength and balance.
• Look into a fall-prevention or exercise program for your loved one.
• Check your loved one’s environment for potential dangers like slick floors, loose cords and other trip hazards.
• Improve home safety by lowering the water temperature in the water heater to prevent burns and installing smoke detectors as well as alarms and automatic shut-off features on appliances.

Comfort Keepers can help

As we age, caring for others and caring for ourselves can take a lot of thought and preparation. Comfort Keepers' trained caregivers can help. Its Comfort Keepers are selected with one specific quality in mind: empathy. Empathetic care that starts in the heart, and it allows us to meet our clients’ exact needs. Comfort Keepers is a leader in providing in-home care consisting of such services as companionship, transportation, housekeeping, meal preparation, bathing, mobility assistance, nursing services and a host of additional items all meant to keep seniors living independently worry free in the comfort of their homes. Call 603-536-6060 or visit nhcomfortkeepers.com for more information.