Health in your 70s and beyond
As our understanding of the ageing process improves it is becoming increasingly apparent that the associations once held as being an unchangeable consequence of advancing years – frailty, lost independence, mental decline – can be significantly influenced by our lifestyles.
Not only is it possible to increase the number of years you live beyond 70, it is equally possible to be more productive and energetic across these years. The great benefit of this is, of course, the increased opportunity to stay involved in a meaningful way with friends, family and even work, if it is your preference.
Staying involved with your doctor is an important component of achieving this. The importance of regularly visiting your doctor to assess your health and manage any illnesses has never been more important.
Your doctor can play a significant part in this by reviewing:
- Family History
- Height & Weight
- Blood Pressure
- Skin Check
- Flu Shot yearly
- Pneumovax 5-yearly
- Tetanus 10-yearly
- Fasting blood cholesterol and fats
- Random Blood Glucose
For those whose history and initial check-up reveals a reason to delve a bit deeper, there are some further tests that may be warranted:
- Full Blood Examination
- Kindey Function
- Liver Function
- Homocysteine Levels
- C-Reactive Protein
- Blood Iron tests
- Bone Density assessment
- Urine test
- Hearing test
- Eye test
- Audiometric Evaluation
- Electrocardiogram – heart
- Cardiac Stress Testing every 3 years
- Colorectal Cancer Screening: Yearly Faecal Occult Blood Test every 5 years
- Prostate Cancer Screening: talk to your GP about what is appropriate for you
