Falls and medicines
Review sedatives, BP medicines, diabetes medicines, anticholinergics, alcohol, dizziness, balance, feet, vision, and home hazards.
Otherwise healthy around 70
Health checks at 70.
At 70, testing should protect independence: heart and stroke prevention, cancer screening where it still helps, medicines, falls, bones, memory, hearing, vision, and goals of care.
Main idea
Do the checks that can change care. Do not collect tests for the sake of collecting tests.
A good 70-year review asks what will preserve function and quality of life. It also asks whether each screening test would still lead to treatment the person would choose.
Chronological age matters less than health, frailty, prior screening, life expectancy, and preferences. Healthy 70-year-olds may benefit from screening that would not help a very frail person.
For details on fasting, cost, risks, normal ranges, false abnormal results, and next steps, use 50tests.com.
Suggested focus
A practical checklist for this decade.
These are prompts for a clinician conversation, not a command to get every test.
Heart, stroke, kidney
BP should be controlled without causing falls. Kidney function and electrolytes matter if taking common BP, diabetes, pain, or fluid medicines.
Cancer screening value
Continue screening when health and preferences mean early detection would lead to useful treatment.
Memory and mood
Ask about cognition, depression, anxiety, sleep, loneliness, hearing, driving, finances, and caregiver strain.
Examples
Otherwise healthy example lists.
These change with family history, symptoms, and local guidelines.
Typical male checklist around 70
- BP with falls context
- Colorectal screening if appropriate
- PSA only as informed choice
- Vision, hearing, medicines, and falls review
Typical female checklist around 70
- BP with falls context
- Mammogram/colorectal screening if appropriate
- Bone density/fracture prevention
- Vision, hearing, medicines, and falls review