Travel Recommendations for Older Adults

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Older age is an important factor in preparing travelers owing not only to physiologic changes and the increased probability of underlying medical conditions and prescription medications but also to immune status with regard to naturally acquired immunity versus immunization for vaccine-preventable diseases. Cardiovascular events (including myocardial infarctions and cerebrovascular accidents) account for most deaths abroad, followed by injuries. To plan for healthy travel, international travelers should be advised to seek care at least 4 to 6 weeks before departure. Travel medicine is a dynamic field because conditions worldwide are subject to rapid change. Clinicians must maintain a current base of knowledge if they will be regularly advising travelers or must set a threshold for referral to a travel medicine specialist.

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Who are older adult travelers and why do they travel?

Leisure travel is a frequent long-range goal for persons retired more than 5 years [9]. There are now ski clubs for the crowds aged 50 or more and 70 or more years, and ski boards (equipment that is shorter than the typical skis) are used with an emphasis on speed control [10]. The airline industry has also responded to the financial clout associated with this spending power and the fear of older Americans that they will not be able to travel on their own. Designers are experimenting with

General considerations

Any international traveler should be advised to seek care at least 4 to 6 weeks before travel. The key elements to address at that time (Box 1) are the itinerary, duration of travel, style of travel, interval until travel, medical history, medications, allergies, immunocompetence, and age and sex of the traveler. Answers to these questions combined with current information about the risks at the destination are used to tailor specific recommendations regarding prophylactic immunizations,

Planning for healthy travel

Health Information for International Travel (The Yellow Book), which is published biennially by the CDC, remains the standard set of recommendations for health maintenance and prevention of illness among US travelers. The full content is available at the CDC Travelers' Health Web site (www.cdc.gov/travel), in addition to travel notices regarding the level of health risk, such as outbreaks of infectious diseases, and prevention information for travelers. All of the sites listed at this address

Role of the primary health care provider

There is a dichotomy among older travelers; some continue to be fit and active while the percent of the population that is obese and sustaining diabetes and hypertension is also at an all-time high. All travelers are impacted to some degree by the biologic aspects of aging in terms of changes in the immune system, body composition, hearing, and vision. Advances in medical care have contributed to increased numbers of persons surviving cancer treatment, living with transplants, or receiving

Acknowledgments

The author extends sincere thanks to Mary-Christine Sullivan and Susan Graham for their contribution to the preparation of this manuscript.

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