Page 24 - Mid Valley Times 12-5-19 E-edition

By Jim Dueck
During this holiday sea- son you may be reminded of gifts you have given and received through the years. I’m sure the ones where a great deal of thought was put into the selection of the
gift made them much more meaningful. e value of a gift is often greater when time and e ort is put into it. Even though many of us are guilty of this, picking some- thing up at the last minute to ful ll a gift obligation is not the best way to give a meaningful gift.
Many of us are not plan- ners by nature and too many of us live our lives day to day without much thought of the future. is is ne for some aspects of life but not all. For example, we live in California where we have
to deal with drought and
oods. Knowing this and planning ahead is essential for communities, business owners and especially farm- ers, to be able to survive the wet and dry years.
Planning ahead is also important for seniors as we are all living longer, 30 years longer than our forefathers did 100 years ago. 50-70% of seniors over the age of
65 will need long term care at some point in their life and families learn that life changes dramatically when a senior cannot be left alone. Many seniors depend on their spouse for care
and this often results in the healthier of the two, wind- ing up in the hospital.
Senior couples living in a situation where one of them cannot be left alone, are al- ready living in Assisted Liv- ing but they just happen to be in their home. Because there can be unexpected changes to health, I believe it is wise for these seniors
to make a written plan that they and their family agree to. In the event things change, the plan should include the following: 1. Where will care be pro- vided. 2. Who will provide
the 24/7 care and how many people will it take. 3. How will the care be paid for.
is holiday season, I would encourage seniors who are living an assisted living life to give their family a well-planned and thoughtful gift of a writ- ten plan about how and where they will receive care should their current situa- tion change. is may be the best gift you can give your family and friends this holiday season.
Routine doctor visits are a vital component of a healthy lifestyle. As noted by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, even men who feel healthy and live active lifestyles must make routine visits to their health- care providers. Such visits can assess risk for future medical prob- lems and o er men the opportunity to update vaccinations. Routine
health checkups also give doctors a chance to screen for medical issues.
Doctors consider a man’s age and other risk factors to deter- mine when and how frequently he will need certain medical screen- ings. For example, while men between
the ages of 40 and
64 are often advised
to get blood pressure screenings at least once
per year, those with diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, and other conditions may need more frequent screenings.
No two men have the same medical histories, which only highlights the need for men of all ages to schedule an- nual physical exams with their physicians. Such exams can reveal potential problems
and also make for
great opportunities to discuss more speci c medical screenings with their physicians. e following are some
Dental E.R.
Your chipped tooth could be a dental emergency. A minor chip that causes- no pain needs less care than a large chip that causes excruciating pain. A few factors, including how much pain you’re in, determine whether or not you need to get to the dentist immediately
Big chip or small chip, here’s what you need to do. First and most importantly is not to panic. To help prevent an infection you can rinse your mouth using warm, salt water.
Read more at markluzaniadds.com Same-day emergency treatment available.
(559) 638-1777 • 1117 G Street • Reedley
Thursday, December 5, 2019 | B10 | Mid Valley TiMes
Health &Fitness
Health &Fitness
Tis the season for giving
Health screenings men should discuss with their physicians
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general screening tests and guidelines recom- mended for all men between the ages of 40 and 64, courtesy of the USNLM.
Prostate cancer
e USNLM notes that most men age 50 or older should discuss screening for pros- tate cancer with their physicians. Ethnicity
and family history are some of the recognized risk factors for pros- tate cancer. As a result, African American men and men with a family history of prostate can- cer in a rst degree rel- ative younger than 65 should discuss screen- ings beginning at age
ScreeningS... continued on next H&F Page
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