Tips for Healthy Aging with Medicare Advantage Plans

November 18, 2024 at 08:01 AM EST

(BPT) - Your health plan plays a big role in keeping you healthy as you age. It can support key parts of healthy aging, like preventive care, taking prescribed medications, regular exercise and staying socially active. Medicare Advantage plans, for example, offer a more complete approach to health and wellness, helping you manage these important areas of your life. Choosing the right Medicare Advantage plan is important during this year's Annual Enrollment Period (AEP), when Medicare-eligible people can sign up or make changes to their coverage.

Dr. Ali Khan, chief medical officer for Aetna^® Medicare, is a practicing board-certified internist who sees primarily Medicare patients and discusses these aspects of healthy aging with them nearly every day. To help people understand how these plans support healthy aging, Dr. Khan shares four key tips:

1. Focus on preventive care

Getting regular checkups and screenings from your doctor can help catch health problems early, which can stop them from becoming more serious. It's important to review your Medicare Advantage plan as many cover various health screenings, such as colonoscopies and mammograms, at no additional cost.

Don't forget about the importance of regular dental, vision and hearing care, too. Many Medicare Advantage plans also include dental, vision and hearing benefits. Poor oral health can harm other parts of the body as you age, which can lead to heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. It can also reduce your quality of life and impact your overall health. Poor vision or hearing can sometimes point to bigger health conditions such as dementia.

You might not even have to leave your own home for some preventive care. Some Medicare Advantage plans offer an annual Healthy Home Visit from a licensed clinician with Signify Health^®. During these visits, a clinician can assess your health and check your home for fall risks and social support needs, helping to keep you safe and healthy. After the visit, the clinician will share a summary report with your doctor and help coordinate any care needs.

An Aetna Medicare Advantage plan member shared feedback related to their preventive care experience: 'I believe Aetna's focus on health care versus sick care is a better way to go. They understand that maintaining a person's health is better than trying to get them healthy after they're sick.'

2. Stay physically active

Regular physical exercise is a big part of healthy aging. Not only does it help keep muscles and bones strong, but it also helps improve heart health and lowers the risk of chronic conditions. Medicare Advantage plans can also provide benefits related to exercise, such as offering a SilverSneakers^® basic fitness membership. Many older adults experience social isolation or loneliness, so signing up for group fitness classes also helps to stay socially connected.

3. Take medications as prescribed

It's important to follow your doctor's instructions when taking medications. Life's demands can make it easy to forget to take medications. However, setting up a daily routine can help you remember to take them, such as taking your medicine at the same time every day or pairing it with a task like brushing your teeth. Pill organizers can also help ensure you take the right dose at the right time.

4. Prevent falls

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says falls are the leading cause of injury for adults ages 65 years and older and over 14 million older adults report falling every year. To prevent falls, stay active to help maintain balance, get your vision and hearing checked regularly, and remove hazards like loose rugs from your home.

Some Medicare Advantage plans offer home health assessments to identify risks, and they may cover vision and hearing tests that can increase awareness of the surrounding environment.

This is an important time of year to be thinking about your health plan and what health benefits matter most to your overall health and wellness. The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period is already underway and runs through December 7. People who are eligible can sign up for Medicare or switch plans during this time. To learn more about 2025 Aetna Medicare plans, call Aetna at 1-844-588-0041 (TTY: 711), 7 days a week, 8 AM to 8 PM. A licensed agent may answer your call. Or visit AetnaMedicare.com. Aetna and Signify Health are part of the CVS Health^® family of companies.

See Evidence of Coverage for a complete description of plan benefits, exclusions, limitations and conditions of coverage. Plan features and availability may vary by service area.

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Tips for Healthy Aging with Medicare Advantage Plans

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