Staying on Schedule: Screenings for Older Women

Taking care of yourself by having regular screenings is the first step in maintaining your health

Being watchful is the best way to catch a disease at its earliest stages. A screening test is used to check for the presence of a disease or disorder before you have any symptoms.

Some important tests for women as they age are screenings for:

• Heart health, including blood pressure, cholesterol and other lipids
• Bone density
• Mammograms
• Colon cancer
• Memory
• Mood (depression, anxiety)
• Presence of abuse

A schedule for recommended screenings for healthy older women:

• Every one to two years:
  • Blood pressure
  • Weight
  • Mammograms
  • Bone density
  • Fecal occult blood (or colonoscopy, see below)
• Every three years
  • Pap smear (Your doctor may recommend not taking a regular Pap smear if you are 65 or older and monogamous or are no longer sexually active, and you’ve had three normal Pap smears in a row.)
  • Blood sugar (for those with a history of high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol)
• Every five years:
  • Cholesterol
  • Thyroid
• Every ten years:
  • Colonoscopy (if results from previous colonoscopy was normal)

Be Prepared

Advice to help you make the most of your next doctor’s visit:

• Make a list
  It’s easy to forget all of the things you wanted to discuss with your doctor, so make a list of everything that you want to cover. You can do this a day or two before your visit; this way you won’t miss the opportunity to give your doctor the full picture.

• Keep a medical diary
  You may also consider keeping a diary of your symptoms, if you are experiencing a health problem. This can give you and you doctor a clear picture of the frequency and context of your problems. You may see a pattern (for example, maybe you always feel ill after you’ve eaten). This kind of information can be very helpful to your physician.

Keeping to your screening schedule is a great way to detect problems early. It can also bring you piece of mind.

More Information at Your Fingertips:

• To learn more about our free health and aging membership program for older adults and the people who care for them, visit the Rush Generations home page. Or call (800) 757-0202. Rush Generations can help you with your goals for vital, healthy living.
• For information on medical services for older adults, visit the Geriatric Services home page. Or call (800) 757-0202.
• Are you facing tough decisions as you or a loved one grow older? The Anne Byron Waud Patient and Family Resource Center for Healthy Aging offers help with your current needs and difficult questions. For more information, see their home page www.rush.edu/WaudCenter or phone (312) 563-2700 or (800) 755-4411.
• Looking for information on other health topics? Visit our Health Information home page.
  
• Looking for a doctor? Call toll free: 888 352-RUSH (7874)

Please note: All physicians featured in Discover Rush Online are on the medical faculty of Rush University Medical Center. Some of the physicians featured are in private practice and, as independent practitioners, are not agents or employees of Rush University Medical Center.

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