The causes of impaired functional capacity should be examined and efforts should be made to slow down their progression.
Non-targeted screening and health checks are not useful.
When considering examinations, it should be assessed whether they would be beneficial for the specific patient or lead to detrimental further examinations.
Investigations
Besides diseases, the person's functional capacity (ability to move, cognitive function, managing daily activities) and signs of the frailty syndrome (weight loss, sarcopenia, reduced mobility, slower walking speed, decreased muscle strength) should be assessed Assessment of Functional Capacity in the Elderly.
On the threshold or in the early phase of retirement, before the development of any evident disease, risk factors (such as hypertension, hyperglycaemia, alcohol consumption, risk of falls) that can be addressed and influenced by therapeutic measures should be assessed.
Yearly laboratory investigations (for untargeted screening) are not considered justified.
Screening or more extensive diagnostics are useless if
there is no effective treatment available for the disease
earlier examinations have been negative
the person in question has a severely limited functional ability or suffers from dementia
the expected quality or duration of life is limited because of some other cause.
References
Stuck AE, Egger M, Hammer A, Minder CE, Beck JC. Home visits to prevent nursing home admission and functional decline in elderly people: systematic review and meta-regression analysis. JAMA 2002 Feb 27;287(8):1022-8. [PubMed]
Vitality in later years : food recommendation for older adults. National nutrition council and Finnish Institute for Welfare and Health. THL Directions 9/2020. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-343-517-9