Physical Health
Prevention and screening
Many older adults do not actively seek screening services. For example, although almost all people age 65 and over have some health insurance coverage (e.g., Medicare), only 83 percent say they had a routine checkup during the preceding two years. Similarly, many of the 11.9 percent of Texans with diabetes are not diagnosed until 12 years after the onset of the disease when complications with lower extremities and/or visual function are beginning to set in. At this stage of the illness, treatment is much more costly. The individual's failure to engage in routine screening and prevention practices may result from limited knowledge and skepticism about the effectiveness of prevention.
Updated: November 2, 2007
