Please keep making your health a priority!
In previous newsletters, we’ve emphasised the importance of members with chronic conditions taking extra good care of their health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although we are all breathing a little easier since lockdown restrictions have been eased, it’s crucial to keep managing and improving our health.
Some suggestions for all Fedhealth members:
• Follow a healthy lifestyle and do regular exercise.
• Use Fedhealth’s screening benefits paid from Risk to identify possible health issues before they become a problem. You can have your Health Risk Assessment done at a pharmacy, it will be covered by the Screening Benefit on all options. The Health Risk Assessment includes a wellness screening which measures Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, finger prick cholesterol and glucose tests as well as preventative screening which measures waist-to-hip ratio, body fat %, flexibility, posture and fitness.
• Manage any chronic conditions you might have by seeing your GP regularly, doing the required pathology tests, and taking your medication correctly. This also includes exercising, eating healthily, not smoking and not drinking alcohol.
• High-risk people are those who are more susceptible to infection because of an existing condition. These conditions include: asthma, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, haemoglobin disorders, heart conditions, immune deficiencies, liver disease and severe obesity. Take extra care if you belong to this group.
• People over the age of 60 are also classified as high-risk since their immune systems become weaker with age.
Staying safe if you are a high-risk chronic patient
The most important support and prevention for high-risk patients is to stay home and social distance. Any contact with the outside world must be met with meticulous prevention protocols, such as wearing masks, washing hands, no physical contact and sanitising surfaces where necessary.
If you’re on medication and undergoing treatment for your chronic illness, it’s important to continue as normal. Continue to see your doctor as needed. Get a family member to collect top-up medication on your behalf OR have it delivered by the pharmacy. Most pharmacies offer a delivery service.
