Preventive Care Services for Seniors on Medicare.
At Oak Street Health, our senior primary care doctors do so much more than just prescribe medication. Our Medicare primary care physicians work with patients to create a roadmap for care. We do this by listening to you and your history, and plan out your health journey together.
Our approach to care starts with seeing patients on a regular cadence. This helps us take better care of seniors who are more at risk. Typically, our senior primary care physicians like to be in contact with those patients roughly once every three weeks. For others who aren’t experiencing chronic illnesses, it’s typical to go once every one to three months before seeing a Medicare primary care doctor.
We find that by incorporating this hands-on approach, it is far easier and less costly to treat patients who get sick if we are immediately on top of the problem.
Things like yearly mammograms and colonoscopies can also benefit senior healthcare, and help stave off serious issues before they become unmanageable. Even flu shots and other immunizations, as well as seeing your doctor on a regular basis can help you stay on top of your health goals. We even screen for depression, as well as substance abuse in seniors to help form a preventative strategy that works. These are just some of the preventative measures we are able to use to take better care of our patients.
Common questions
Is preventive health a new kind of medicine?
No. Preventive care is nothing new. It just isn’t practiced by everyone. But as Medicare primary care doctors for seniors, we know that preventive medicine means being able to keep you healthier and out of the hospital more often. Plus, it’s far less costly to treat you when you are healthy than when you are sick.
What types of things can I do that is preventive care focused?
There are a lot of steps you can take to prevent serious illness. Making sure you have all your immunizations and that you are taking your medicines on a regular basis is important. But so is seeing your Medicare primary care physician on a regular basis, as well as regular lab work and screenings that can warn your senior primary care doctor of any changes in your health before it becomes too serious.
But preventive care also means being active. As we age, it becomes more important to move, by doing so you can help prevent your body from taking on the stress of an illness. It also changes in food habits and eating a more nutritionally-balanced diet. Cutting out the things that cause high-blood pressure, diabetes and other corrosive activities we pick up over time.
Get plenty of rest. 7-9 hours of sleep a night can help stave off things like serious illness and help relieve stress levels that affect seniors. If you have trouble sleeping, speak to your Medicare primary care physician.
These same recommendations can also prevent stress which we know is common for everyone. Taking care of your physical and mental health is important to us and we do so by preventing illnesses early on.
How can I prevent heart disease?
The main component of a heart disease prevention plan is striving towards keeping a balanced diet and incorporating some form of exercise daily. To learn more about what’s recommended as a healthy diet and exercise plan, read this section.
How can I prevent diabetes?
The biggest preventive care measure you can take to avoid developing type 1 and 2 diabetes down the line is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Balancing a diet that incorporates a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains along with daily exercise is vital to keeping our body healthy and well maintained.