Prevention and Health Maintenance following COVID 19, Practical Tips for Older Adults

Paul Takahashi MD, MPH

Professor of Medicine | Mayo Clinic College of Medicine| Division of Community Internal Medicine

COVID 19 in 2020 was a challenging time for the entire world. During early 2020, people avoided public spaces including shopping, churches, schools, and healthcare. Over time, public health vaccinated people against COVID 19 and developed new treatments for COVID 19. With increasing immunity to COVID 19, people are resuming normal activity including socializing and travel.

This normal activity should include routine visits to healthcare. Many patients have put off medical prevention care, chronic disease monitoring and addressing acute medical issues. Now is the time for people to resume medical care because treating illness at an early stage prevents serious problems later.

Preventive healthcare includes three major areas of emphasis.

First providers screen for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes to prevent heart attack and stroke. Healthcare teams measure blood pressure in the office. Patients can obtain cholesterol and diabetes values with simple blood tests. Treatment of these three simple conditions can reduce risk of heart attack, stroke, and hardening of the arteries in the legs.

A second area of emphasis involves cancer screening. Women should obtain mammogram and pap smear (as appropriate) to detect breast cancer and cervical cancer. For both men and women, adults over forty-five should obtain colon cancer screening to detect colon polyps or colon cancer. Adults who have smoked or continue to smoke should consider a CT scan of the chest to detect lung cancer or nodules. Now is the time to catch up with cancer screening if patients have delayed care during COVID 19.

Third all adults can implement lifestyle changes which can enhance health and wellbeing. These lifestyle recommendations include activity, diet, smoking cessation, and vaccinations. Vaccinations can help prevent COVID 19, pneumonia, shingles, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis among other conditions. Diet and exercise can help with weight management, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and sense of well-being.

Chronic disease management is another important aspect of healthcare.

Adults experience common diseases which need monitoring to optimize long term results. The common conditions include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, heart failure, high cholesterol, arthritis, kidney disease, asthma, depression, and any illness which requires a medication. Healthcare providers evaluate the effectiveness of medications for patients suffering from illness. During a visit, providers will make changes as needed either reducing or increasing medication. They will also talk about other lifestyle changes which can help such as exercise, diet, and smoking cessation.

Now is the time to act!
Our society is learning to live and coexist with COVID 19. The risks are decreasing with vaccination, treatment and growing population immunity, so this is a good time for patients to re-engage in the healthcare they may have delayed during the past couple of years.

 Patients who experience new health concerns which concern them should reach out to their health care providers. These risks include new breathing problems, chest discomfort, or changes in exercise tolerance. Providers also want to know about new pains, weight loss, fatigue, and new bleeding. Now is the time for people to take advantage of the health care opportunities available and to improve their health outlook!