From babies to seniors: Knowing health needs

At every stage of life from birth to senior years, there are different areas of focus for keeping in good health. It’s important to work with your physician to know what health concerns need to be addressed for each new stage of life. Here’s a summary of just a few of the areas health care providers make a priority over a lifetime:

Infancy and childhood

Development: Health care will center around growth and development. 

Are children meeting their age-appropriate milestones or are there any delays that are present?

Children will be screened for Autism Spectrum Disorder at 18 and 24 months or at any time period when their family or pediatrician has concerns.  

Language will be assessed during toddler years. Many children speak six to 15 words around 18 months and as many as 50 or more words around the time they turn 2 or shortly thereafter.

All children are different, so if a child is not meeting his or her milestones exactly at a specific age, there is no need to worry, but both pediatricians and parents should keep an eye on that child’s development. 

Tantrums are normal but should phase out over time, to some extent.

Nutrition: The introduction of solid food will take place between 4 and 6 months and will progress to table foods as the child approaches 12 months.

It is important to expose children to a variety of foods and colors to help encourage a healthy appetite. 

Immunizations: Children will be due for vaccines at birth; 2, 4, 6, 12, 15 and 18 months; and 4, 11 and 16 years old. Children also get screened for anemia and lead poisoning at 12 and 24 months.

Source: Dr. Ashanti Woods, who specializes in general pediatrics at Mercy Family Care Physicians in Baltimore

Teen years

Nutrition: Teens should be encouraged to eat nutritious meals and limit junk food.

Education: Teens should be educated on the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and drug use and the importance of responsible behaviors in areas covering everything from driving to dating.

Sleep: Teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Less than that can affect academics and other areas of life.

Mental Heath: With depression common among teens and suicide being a leading cause of death of people 15-19, health care providers and families should keep open lines of communication with teens and provide support for navigating feelings of depression or loneliness. Professional help is available.

Source: Catholic Review research/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Adulthood

Routine  examinations: Checkups and screenings depend not only on the age but on underlying risk factors.

Routine health examinations will obtain baseline height and weight and body mass index. This will be used to evaluate adults for obesity which can determine if the patient needs earlier screenings for diabetes or high cholesterol. Blood pressure is also assessed to see if further work-up or evaluation is needed, especially if the subject is impatient. Patients will also be assessed for tobacco, alcohol and substance use as this will affect possible screenings in the future.

 Mental Heath: Patients of all age groups should be evaluated for their mental health, including depression screenings at their annual visits.

Immunizations: All patients should be up to date with immunizations.

Screenings: All patients of adult age (18-79) are due for a hepatitis C virus screening one time in their lifetime as this is a risk factor for liver disease.

Starting at 21 years, women should be screened for cervical cancer. Mammography may be recommended for women at age 40 after mutual discussion with their provider.

It is recommended to start annual skin cancer screenings depending on risk factors such as family history, sun exposure and UV exposure. Patients over 30 should have a mutual discussion with their provider to determine if they should start skin cancer screenings with a dermatologist and/or a primary care physician.

Colonoscopies may be recommended depending on the patient’s medical history. Routine screening starts at 45. According to Urology Specialists of Maryland at Mercy, prostate cancer often is not accompanied by symptoms, which can make prostate screening tests important. Prostate screening tests are typically offered to men over 50.

Patients who have a significant tobacco use history will need to annual imaging as screening for lung cancer. Men aged 65 to 75 who have ever smoked obtain a one-time screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm with an ultrasound.

Women should obtain osteoporosis screening at the age of 65. Doctors also determine vitamin D levels in the senior age group and sometimes sooner in the middle-age group.

Source: Dr. Sabrina Barata, a primary care doctor at Mercy Personal Physicians at Lutherville

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