Although getting screened for cancer can be a life-saving procedure for many older adults, it can be difficult to convince your parents to get one. Dr. Heather Yeo, a colorectal cancer specialist, says that longer lifespans have posed unique challenges to getting older adults screened. “I take care of a lot of older adults,” she says.” Since people are now living much longer than before, I see a lot of patients who stopped getting screened and then make it to their 90s in great shape, only to have to deal with a colon cancer that could have been prevented if they had continued screening.”
Dr. Elizabeth Comen, breast oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering, also makes it clear that age doesn’t always equate to health. “We have to make sure to incorporate age with a person’s fitness, risk factors, and general health to attain an understanding of the whole person. From there we can most accurately make decisions about whether screening is appropriate.” After all, screening guidelines are just that: guidelines, not hard and fast rules. “Just because a guideline recommends that screenings should stop at a certain age, doesn’t mean they should for all patients. We may want to continue mammograms for some older patients that are healthy enough to live to 100,” explains Dr. Comen. In other cases, maybe the patient has a blood relative that has had cancer before, so it’s best to screen at an earlier age than traditional guidelines recommend.
Read More- Validate and address their fears Screening can bring up plenty of fears in your parents. Will it hurt? What if the doctors find a cancer? Validating these fears and empathizing with your parents can be the first step to facilitating a conversation about getting screened. “They may be worried that they’ll have pain during a mammogram, for example, so it’s exceptionally important that those fears be addressed and parents are reassured,” says Dr. Comen.
- Tell them it’s easier now then it will be later Talking to them about how screening can prevent having to deal with a cancer later in life can convince your parents that taking care of things now is worth it. “Often if I explain it to them in this way, they will be more ready to get screened,” says Dr. Yeo. After all, it is much easier to get a colonoscopy sooner than to deal with colorectal cancer 5-10 years later, since taking out early polyps can prevent cancer from developing.
- Reassure them that they won’t be a burden Sometimes parents worry that the assistance needed to travel to and from screenings, or the potential care that will be needed if a cancer is found, will be burdensome on you and the rest of the family. Reassure them that their health is important to you, and that doing the screening now will save a headache in the future.
- Offer to help coordinate and/or transport them many older adults may not be able to transport themselves for screening. So, if you help schedule and transport them, they may be more willing to go.
- Go with them and take care of yourself as well Coming in to get your screenings with your parents may make them more willing to get one. “I have several mothers and daughters or fathers and sons that will come in for their screenings together. They often go out for a nice big lunch together after the scope or test is done,” says Dr. Yeo.
- Educate them They may think that they are too old to need screening. Often this is not true, as life expectancies rise, the importance of continued screening increases. “My general guideline is if someone has a life expectancy of at least 5-10 years, they should follow screening guidelines,” says Dr. Yeo.
- Tell them about recent improvements in screenings Let them know about what the screening procedure entails and how it could help. For example, bowel prep has gotten easier than in years past. They have had bad prior experiences, so it’s important for them to know that things have had some improvement. For example, colonoscopies now use CO2 and not air, so patients are less likely to be bloated and gassy after, according to Dr. Yeo.
- Remind them! Sometimes a simple reminder will do the trick. People are busy, and nudging them to take care of their health can make the difference.
- Check on insurance coverage Some older adults are worried about whether screenings will be covered by their insurance. Reassure them that most screenings are covered under insurance, so double check your parents insurance and then tell them what you find.
- Talk to them about their preferences for quality of life It’s also essential that you know what your parent’s preferences are for quality of life and receiving treatment if a cancer is found sometimes screening doesn't make sense if your parent would never accept the possible treatments in the event a cancer is detected.
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