Aging With A Developmental Disability – Lifestyle And Health Considerations

Health and longevity is related to lifestyle and predisposition to certain health conditions. Aging well depends on maintaining one’s health by making healthy choices. This checklist can help to identify aspects of the individual’s lifestyle that may result in health problems and those that promote good health. After completing the checklist, a good next step is to develop a plan for helping the person adjust their lifestyle choices wherever possible.

Checklist on Lifestyle

Do the person’s eating habits reflect awareness of and adherence to the Canada Food Guide? (For more information on the Canada Food Guide go to https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

If not, what areas need to be changed?

What is the person’s weight and height? Is this a concern? How does it compare to the norm?

What does the person do for exercise? Is it done regularly? If not what are the possible physical activities the person may wish to start?

Walking
Golfing (without a ride-on cart)
Yard and garden work
Propelling a wheelchair (“wheeling”)
Cycling
Skating
Continuous swimming
Tennis
Dancing
Gardening
Mopping the floor
Yard work
Vacuuming
Stretching exercises
T’ai Chi
Golf
Bowling
Yoga
Curling
Dance
Heavy yard work (e.g. cutting/piling wood
Raking and carrying leaves
Lifting and carrying groceries
Climbing stairs
Exercises (e.g. abdominal curls/push-ups
Wearing a backpack to carry groceries or other items
Weight/strength-training routines

Living Situation

Where does the person live?

Central location close to amenities and services
Good location close to some amenities and services
Poor location, difficult to get to amenities and services

What are the risk factors associated with his/her place of residence?

Air pollution

Checklist for Health

Illness/injuries since last exam
Ear trouble or deafness
Hay fever-Asthma-Sinusitis
Head injuries
Heart disease
Palpitations
Shortness of breath
Jaundice
Haemorrhoids
Venereal disease
Tropical diseases
Back injuries / back problems
Foot troubles
Bleeding disorders
Use alcohol to excess
Allergies
Presence of Diabetes
Thyroid (especially in the case of Down Syndrome
Eye trouble
Nose or throat trouble
Headaches
Fainting spells—convulsions
Rheumatic fever
Lung disease or chronic cough
Indigestion
Rupture
Kidney and/or bladder trouble
Varicose veins
Skin disease
Broken bones
Rheumatism or joint trouble
Nervous disorders
Operations
Drug allergies
Diabetes management plan in place
ECG

For Women:

Breast Examination
Gynecological Examination (including pap smear)

For Men:

Prostate Examination

Medications:

Name / Dosage / Purpose

Sourced from “Transition Guide For Caregivers”, The Ontario Partnership on Aging and Developmental Disabilities http://www.opadd.on.ca