When your senior loved one visits the doctor, the visit tends to be rushed due to the limited amount of time doctors have to spend with their patients. The checkup will cover current health issues and concerns, symptoms, and medications. There seldom seems to be time to discuss underlying causes of any symptoms. But that doesn’t mean that we should ignore them, just because the doctor didn’t raise the concern. If there is any health issue requiring doctor visits, first go through a lifestyle checklist to uncover what potential causes could be at hand. Do you/your senior loved one:
- Get enough sleep?
- Eat healthy?
- Drink plenty of water? (and not too much alcohol/caffeine)
- Exercise every day?
- Have any major causes of stress?
- Suffer from another injury or medical condition?
- Live in a comfortable environment?
- Engage in hobbies/socialising?
Keeping up with regular doctor visits as we age is extremely important – but do not accept a prescription as a license to continue with a lifestyle that may have lead to a health condition. Keep a healthy lifestyle in your own time, and watch the doctor visits improve.