Accessing Preventive Care

a wheelchair user on the accessible scale
Photo courtesy of Kelsey Kimberlin/KU Marketing Communications

It’s important for you and your doctor to know your current weight, especially if you are taking certain medications. But accessible scales are not always available. Tax credits are offered to health care providers so they can purchase accessible equipment.

Some of the recommended preventive tests are different for women and men. The screenings you need also change according to your age.

Regular exercise or strength training is one way to prevent health problems, but you should check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

What Is Preventive Care?

Preventive care is care you receive when you’re not sick.  The purpose of preventive care is to detect diseases or health problems early in their development and to identify whether you are at risk for having specific problems. If a health problem is discovered early, your health care providers can educate you on the issue, counsel you about how to change your health habits if that is appropriate, and take any necessary actions to prevent the problem from getting worse.

You have probably had some type of preventive care. Examples are:

  • Screening tests – such as exams for breast or prostate cancer
  • Wellness exams – like having an annual physical exam or getting your teeth cleaned and checked for cavities
  • Health education – any learning you gain from your doctor or nurse, in a class or through your own research
  • Immunization programs – some vaccines are only needed once, like polio, while others are taken every year, as for flu.

Visiting Your Doctor When You’re Not Sick

Schedule regular doctor’s visits. If your doctor or other health care provider doesn’t suggest routine visits or checkups, bring the issue up yourself. You can say:

“I’d like to meet with you again to make sure I’m still on track to a healthy lifestyle.”

Use your physical exam time to educate your doctor about your disability so he/she can better help you when problems come up. You know what “normal” means for you. When your doctor also knows, you can identify new conditions more quickly.

Why Preventive Care Is Important for People with Disabilities

Everyone is at risk for some preventable diseases. If you have a physical disability, you may be more at risk for preventable health conditions.

Don’t Skip the Scale!

You should have your weight measured at least once yearly. It is important for your providers to know if your weight has changed, and some medicines are prescribed according to the person’s weight, so this information can directly affect your health.

However, many providers do not have scales that accommodate wheelchair users or anyone who cannot stand up to be weighed. In this situation, advise your doctor that you would like to be weighed and ask him/her where in the community you can obtain this service. You may be referred to a local hospital or clinic that has an accessible scale.

Vaccines (Also Known as Immunizations)

Vaccines keep you healthy! Diseases that can be prevented by vaccines can be difficult or expensive to treat and harmful to your overall health.  

  • What vaccines do you need?
  • Flu vaccine – yearly
  • Td/Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) – get a booster shot for tetanus and diphtheria every 10 years after first being immunized
  • Talk to your doctor about these other vaccines:
  • Pneumococcal (for pneumonia), Shingles, HPV, MMR,  Chickenpox
  • Check with your doctor to see which vaccines you’ve had.
  • Keep a record of which vaccines you’ve had and when. Keep this up-to-date.

Recommended Screenings

  • Physical exam – Yearly
  • Blood pressure check – Yearly
  • Weight check – At each visit
  • Cholesterol check – Baseline in your 20s, then every 5 years
  • Bone-density test – Women aged 60-65 and older, or younger women and men with disabilities who use wheelchairs and/or do not do weight-bearing activity. Check with your doctor.
  • Colorectal cancer test – Check with your doctor about recommendations
  • Blood sugar test – Starting at age 45 then every 3 years
  • Women only:
    • Mammogram – Starting at age 40 then every 1-2 years
    • Clinical breast exam – Age 20-39:every 3 years; Age 40+: yearly
    • Pap test: Within 2 years after first having sexual relations or at age 21; Age 21-29: every 1-2 years; Age 30-69: every 2-3 years (if sexually active)
  • Men only:
    • Digital rectal exam: Talk with your doctor
    • Prostate-specific antigen test: Talk with your doctor

Health Maintenance Timeline

Birth – 17 Years

  • Wellness Checks: Annually for 2-6 years old; every other year from 6-17 years old
  • Screening Tests: Chlamydia (yearly for sexually active women from 15 years old); assessment of risk for TB; HIV screening (ages 15-65)
  • Immunizations

18 – 39 Years

  • Wellness Checks: Blood pressure, weight and height to calculate body mass index (BMI) and health risks
  • Screening Tests: Diabetes; assessment of risk for TB; HIV screening (ages 15-65)
  • Immunizations
  • Lipid Test (beginning at age 35)
  • Women’s Health: Chlamydia (through 24 years old for sexually active women; Pap Test (every 3 years from age 21, if sexually active); Folic acid (daily supplement if planning to become pregnant)

40 – 49 Years

  • Wellness Checks: Blood pressure, weight and height to calculate body mass index (BMI) and health risks
  • Screening Tests: Hep C (born between 1945-1965); Diabetes; Assessment of risk for TB; HIV screening (ages 15-65)
  • Immunizations
  • Lipid test (every 10 years)
  • Women’s Health: Pap test (every 3 years from age 21, if sexually active); Folic acid (daily supplement if planning to become pregnant); Mammogram (yearly)

50 – 74 Years

  • Wellness Checks: Blood pressure, weight & height to calculate BMI and health risks
  • Screening Tests: Hep C (born between 1945-1965); Diabetes; Colorectal Cancer; Assessment of Risk for TB; HIV Screening (ages 15-65)
  • Immunizations
  • Lipid Test (every 10 years)
  • Men’s Health: Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)
  • Women’s Health: Pap Test (every 3 years from age 21, if sexually active); Mammogram (every 2 years); Bone Density (age 65)

75 & Over

  • Screening Tests: Diabetes; Colorectal Cancer; Assessment of Risk for TB
  • Immunizations
  • Men’s Health: Prostate Specific Antigen
  • Women’s Health: Mammogram (every 2 years, optional after 74 years of age)

Resources

What vaccines do I need? (NFID)

Health Checkups (Choosing Wisely)

2015 health maintenance guidelines (pamf.org) 

Kailes, J. I. (2006). Making Preventative Health Care Work for You - A Resource Guide for People with Physical Disabilities.