A Good Health is the Best Wealth
How can you achieve a healthy lifestyle? As I’ve stated before – organization is key when it comes to the Golden Years, and I have more tips and tasks for you.
Let’s start easy – by documenting your medical history. How many of you have gone to a doctor and they ask about your medical history? Which medications are you currently on or have taken in the past? What diseases or ailments run in your family?
Medical History
Even if you provide the info to Doctor A – doesn’t Doctor B ask about it three months from now? It might be in your chart, but they’re always asking me if anything new has shown up. I grew tired of trying to remember each illness / disease / surgery on each side of the family, so I created a spreadsheet. Got to love Excel! I document which relative / which side of the family has (or had) what and how old they were when it started. Most importantly – did that family member pass away from that disease. It’s morbid to do – but very important.
It’s best in excel because then you can easily send to relatives so they have it on hand and can correct anything you miss. My best example is that I created this spreadsheet ten plus years ago and my mom “blessed” it. Then suddenly last year she says, “you’re missing glaucoma for my dad.” No clue why this suddenly came up – but it did. Grandpa has been dead for 20 years – but she suddenly remembered he had glaucoma at one point. Hence – always share with the relatives so they can make corrections.
On this same spreadsheet – detail your medications and your doctors. What you’re currently taking and what you once took – including the years. It’s important as you might switch doctors and maybe MyChart doesn’t capture it all. I’ve been on one medicine for close to 20 years and while I’ve always been a “Northwestern Hospital” patient, they can’t seem to find “when” I started the medicine.
Exams / Routine Visits
Is your calendar full of doctor appointments? Do you have one of these AM/PM pill counters on your kitchen table? We have one for our dog, but I have not reached the point of needing one for myself.
Unfortunately – as you get closer to the Golden Years – this is the age when you’re constantly seeing Doctor A for this ailment and Doctor B for that issue. Ensure you see your doctors regularly so you can get ahead of any upcoming issues.
Schedule routine exams with your doctors (ex. annual physical exam, dental cleaning, eye checkups). Have your blood tested regularly and ask your doctors questions about anything you consider an anomaly.
Make sure you receive all the proper immunizations and try to avoid places that are cesspools of germs. As you age – you are more susceptible to illnesses, and they often take longer to heal / cure. At the same time – document all your immunizations. We were planning a trip to Costa Rica several years ago and certain shots were needed. It was helpful to have it documented.
Resource Tip: Read more in this article about: Your age-by-age guide to annual physical exams
Proactively getting ahead of any medical issues is always important and these tips should allow you to do just that. Just another way to help maintain a healthy lifestyle.
