Last Updated Apr 2013
When someone we care about becomes ill, it is always a challenging and upsetting time for everyone involved. What makes it more upsetting though is when their illness could have been prevented long before it took hold. Medical research has shown that preventative care or preventative medicine it can often be much more beneficial than the treatment of symptoms.
What is preventative care?
Preventative care looks at taking measures to prevent diseases and injuries happening in the first place, as opposed to treating the symptoms or attempting to cure them once illness has taken hold. Occupational medicine operates within preventative care, and is in contrast to palliative care.
We have all experienced some level of preventative care in our lifetime, particularly as children. Immunizations, counseling services and routine check-ups at the doctors all come under the umbrella of preventative medicine.
These methods are affordable and really do help save lives. They are about educating us to the potential risks of some lifestyle choices, as well as encouraging us to be more aware of our physical and mental well-being.
Here, we take a closer look at some of the most common preventative services and how they are used as a 
means of both education and prevention.
Types of care
Preventative care encompasses many services, some of which we are so familiar with we might not have even realized they were helping keep illness and injury at bay. Some of the leading examples include:
- Childhood immunization
- Smoking cessation
- Fitness and lifestyle coaching
- Daily aspirin use
- Cholesterol and cancer screening
Children most frequently receive preventative services, to help stop them developing illnesses such as tuberculosis (TB), measles and mumps. We will receive many injections like this as we grow up, and many people also get the flu shot every year. This is another example of preventative care educating and protecting us from illness.
We also experience a number of other preventative services as we get older too.
For example, women will have regular smear tests and mammograms as they age to screen for cervical and breast cancer. Pregnant women also take a number of supplements, such as folic acid, as a preventative medication.
Men older than 50 should have regular prostate exams to screen for cancer. They should also have regular weight cholesterol and blood pressure tests. Other preventative services include proper diet and exercise, safe sex practices and something as simple as smoke detectors in your home.
Education and prevention
As we’ve seen, preventative care is all about education. The role of every therapist includes educating patients into making the right choices, and putting their health first.
We often take our health for granted, especially as we lead such busy lives, but preventative medicine means we can help keep everything working as well as it should. We all need to be educated about our health, and preventative medicine is one of the best ways to do so.
Doctors, nurses and therapists have a wealth of knowledge they can impart to help us keep fit and healthy. By looking closer at preventative care, we can take full advantage of this knowledge and educate ourselves like never before.
About the Author: Solihull Care provides residential and domiciliary care for elderly people living in Birmingham, UK. To find out more about their care home in Solihull and their other services, visit their website today.
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