Many accidents, illnesses, and common geriatric health care conditions, such as falls, chronic illness, depression, and frailty, are preventable. To prevent illness, get a yearly flu vaccine and wash hands after using the restroom and before handling food. To prevent a fall, complete a home safety checklist, use assistive devices, wear appropriate footwear, get vision checked, take vitamin D and calcium, and get some form of exercises into a daily routine.
Get medications to check. When you visiting the healthcare professional, bring all of the prescription and
over-the-counter medications, vitamins, herbs, and supplements are taken, or a complete list that notes the names of each, the doses are taken, and how often used. Ask the healthcare provider to review everything brought or put on the list. He or she should make sure they’re safe to take, and that they don’t interact in harmful ways with medication or current health problems. The older a person is, and the more medicines are taken, the more likely to experience medication side effects, even from drugs bought over-the-counter.
Find the right healthcare professional and make the most of the visits. See the healthcare professional
regularly, answer questions frankly, ask any questions without holding back, and follow advice. If there are multiple, chronic health problems, the best is to see a geriatrics healthcare professional—someone with advanced training that prepares to care for the most complex patients.
Use an independent consultant to check the opinion of others. This is security, not mistrust. Every person can have a bad judgment day.
