The Importance of Regular Checkups for Older Men

If you are an older adult male, you should visit your healthcare provider for checkups and preventive screenings regularly, even if you are feeling healthy. That’s because the older you become, the greater your risk of developing health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, and arthritis. Even if you are feeling fine, regular visits to your primary care doctor can help you avoid health issues in the future.

Not only are regular checkups necessary to screen for medical issues, but they are also an opportunity to update vaccinations and help you build a relationship with your provider – not to mention encourage a healthier lifestyle.

14 Important Screenings for Older Men

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends the following screening for men aged 65 or older:

1. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening

If you are between the ages of 65 and 75 and have smoked during your life, you should have an ultrasound to screen for swelling of the aorta, the main blood vessel that leads from your heart, through your abdomen, to the rest of your body.

2. Blood Pressure Screening

Your blood pressure should be checked at least once per year and more often if you have diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, or if you are overweight.

3. Cholesterol Screening

High cholesterol levels can lead to heart disease. If your level is normal, have your cholesterol checked every five years, but repeat it sooner if you have diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, or other health conditions, or if changes – such as weight gain and diet – occur in your lifestyle.

4. Colorectal Cancer Screening

You should be screened for colorectal cancer on a regular basis until age 75 in the form of CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) every five years or colonoscopy every 10 years. If you have risk factors for colorectal cancer, such as ulcerative colitis, a personal or family history of colon or rectal cancer, or a history of adenomatous polyps, you should have a colonoscopy more often.

5. Dental Exam

Visit your dentist once or twice each year for an exam and a cleaning.

6. Diabetes Screening

You should be tested every three years, or more often if you have certain risk factors, such as a first-degree relative who is diabetic, or if you are overweight or have high blood pressure, prediabetes, or a history of heart disease.

7. Eye Exam

Have your vision tested every one to two years or an examination of your retina every year if you have diabetes.

8. Hearing Test

If you have symptoms of hearing loss, don’t hesitate to have your hearing tested.

9. Immunizations

These should include a flu shot once every year, the pneumococcal vaccine, and a tetanus-diphtheria vaccination – if you didn’t receive it as a child – with a booster (or Tdap) every 10 years.

10. Infectious Disease Screening

All adults up to the age of 79 should have a one-time test for hepatitis C and a screening for HIV up to the age of 65.

11. Lung Cancer Screening

If you are between the ages of 50 and 80 and have a 20-pack-a-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years, you should have an annual screening with low-dose computed tomography.

12. Osteoporosis Screening

Those between the ages of 50 and 70 should be screened if they have low body weight, smoke, frequently drink alcohol, engaged in long-term steroid use, had a fracture after age 50, or have a family history of osteoporosis or hip fracture.

13. Prostate Cancer Screening

Prostate exams are no longer required for men with no symptoms. However, if you are between the ages of 55 and 69 and at a higher risk of prostate cancer, speak with your healthcare provider about the need for a PSA test.

14. Skin Exam

Have your doctor check for any signs of skin cancer if you have had it before, if you have a family history of skin cancer, or if you have a weakened immune system.

Health Checkups for Senior Citizens

June is Men’s Health Month. What better time for a health checkup at Palm Medical Centers, where doctors who listen to you have been bringing genuine kindness to senior primary care for 10 years?

Not only do we provide comprehensive health care for our senior patients, but we also help them access and obtain a wide range of social services, including Medicare application and plan selections, that are available to seniors and their families. Our staff includes dedicated patient relations outreach representatives who collaborate with representatives from ACCESS Florida to streamline the process and help make it happen.

We have multiple locations, all within three miles of your home, and accept Medicare Advantage Plan, making Palm Medical Centers your ideal source for quality senior healthcare. In fact, we have a satisfaction rating of over 98% among the 35,000 patients we currently serve.

Other advantages of being a Palm Medical Centers patient include:

• In-house labs
• Medicare same-day appointments, walk-ins, and minimal or no-wait times
• Specialist care coordination
• Transportation assistance
• 24/7 access to the urgency line and care team

Call us today at (833)500-PALM (7256)  to book an appointment at the Palm Medical Centers location nearest to you or send us a message now.