Health checks for women 60–69
At this age, keeping independence matters as much as finding disease. Falls and balance are the item most worth raising and least often mentioned.
Asked at every age, not just yours
- Blood pressure — the cheapest measurement and the one most often skipped
- Weight and waist, recorded over time rather than measured once
- A complete list of medicines and supplements, including anything bought without a prescription
- Any allergies you have had, to medicines and to anything else
- Family history, with the AGE at which relatives were affected — the age is the detail that shifts a schedule
🫀 Heart and metabolic
- Blood pressure, glucose, lipids
- Irregular pulse — ask about pulse checks or an ECG
- Kidney function, especially on multiple medicines
🎗️ Cancer screening
- Breast screening under the programme
- Bowel screening
- Ask when each programme stops — they each have an end point
💉 Infection and vaccination
- Seasonal vaccination
- Shingles and pneumococcal vaccination — ask whether you are in the recommended group
- Any missing boosters
🦴 Bones, senses and mobility
- Falls risk and balance — the single most important item in this group
- Bone health
- Vision including eye pressure, and hearing
🧠 Mental health and lifestyle
- Memory and concentration, if you or your family notice a change
- Mood and social isolation
- A full review of your medication list — the longer it is, the more it needs reviewing
What changes this list for you
- Any fall in the past year
- Taking several medicines or more
- Living alone or with few visitors
Any one of these can move a starting point earlier or change how often something is repeated. That is a conversation to have, not something to work out alone.
Questions to take with you
- Among my medicines, is there anything that could be stopped
- Am I at risk of falling, and what reduces it
- Which of my screening programmes is nearing its end point