Call to Action: Increasing older adults use of clinical preventive services

Broader use of clinical preventive services is one of the keys to preserving and extending the health of older Americans. Medicare covers many essential clinical preventive services for older adults, including services such as immunization for influenza and pneumococcal disease and screening for the early detection of selected cancers (e.g., breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancers), diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and glaucoma. These services, coupled with appropriate follow-up, are effective in preventing disease or detecting disease in the early stages, when treatment is more effective.

Because research has shown that older adults are motivated by health care providers’ recommendations for screening and immunization, better educating seniors on recommended preventive measures is essential.(1) Community organizations can promote and facilitate access to preventive measures by hosting health fairs and “Immunization Days” where older people live and congregate and by widely publicizing the benefits and local availability of immunization and screening services.

A variety of players—health care providers, aging services providers, public health agencies, hospitals, nursing agencies, health insurance programs, faith-based institutions, senior centers, and community-based organizations—all have key roles in ensuring that older Americans benefit from these services. Communities should ensure that they have a designated focal point for coordinating and facilitating the efforts of these important community players in increasing the use of preventive services.

One example of a successful coordinating effort is the Sickness Prevention Achieved through Regional Collaboration (SPARC) program. SPARC coordinates and nurtures a regional network of providers and organizations that implement local strategies for increasing access to clinical preventive services. Partners include representatives of local hospitals, medical practices, public health agencies, social service organizations, and community advocacy groups. SPARC serves as the bridge between medicine and public health. Although it does not directly provide services, SPARC helps medical practices more effectively provide preventive services, helps make prevention measures more widely available, and helps establish local accountability for the delivery of care. For more information, visit www.sparc-health.org.

Reference:

1. Elder JP. Williams SJ. Drew JA. Wright BL. Boulan TE. Longitudinal effects of preventive services on health behaviors among an elderly cohort. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 11(6):354-9, 1995.