Additional Ways to Stay Well
Looking after your health is about more than treating illness. Taking up opportunities to prevent disease, identify health issues early and support long-term wellbeing can help you stay healthier for longer. Vaccinations and immunisations, screening programmes and actions to support brain health all play an important role in protecting your health and reducing the risk of future health problems. The information below provides guidance and links to services that can help you make informed choices about your health and wellbeing.
Getting vaccinated and having immunisations through all stages of life is a simple and safe way to protect your health and those around you.
- Vaccination saves lives. Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health. They prevent up to 3 million deaths worldwide every year.
- To reduce your risk of serious disease, take up your invite to all vaccinations and immunisations. For more information you can visit Hywel Dda University Health Board Vaccinations and Immunisations page and Public Health Wales.
Below is a list of vaccination and immunisations programmes.
- Winter vaccinations
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Chicken Pox (MMRV and MMR vaccines)
- Vaccines in Pregnancy
- School age children and young people
- Flu
- COVID-19
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- Babies and children aged 0-5
- Seasonal vaccines
- At risk groups
- Travel vaccinations
- Changes to the routine childhood immunisation schedule
A simple but important way to look after your health is to accept your invitation to screening appointments that are offered through different stages of life.
Screening aims to detect early stages of disease or prevent disease occurring.
Screening is a process of identifying apparently healthy people who may be at an increased risk of a disease or condition.
They can then be offered information, further tests and appropriate treatment to reduce their risk and/or any complications arising from the disease or condition.
Listed below are the screening programmes that are available in Wales to support the detection and treatment. You can also visit Hywel Dda University Health Board NHS screening Programmes and Public Health Wales for more information.
Most cases of dementia are caused by a combination of risk factors. A risk factor is anything that affects our chances of developing a condition like dementia.
Our risk is shaped across our lives by age, genes, lifestyle, health and environment. We can’t change everything, but we can take steps to protect our brain health and reduce our risk.
Making changes isn’t always easy for everyone. Small steps can improve overall health and are likely to reduce dementia risk too.
Looking after your brain health can reduce the risk of Dementia
Looking after your hearing and vision are great ways to prevent or delay the start of Dementia. When we can see and hear, this gives us better:
- Quality of life
- Wellbeing
- Overall health
Find local information on how to reduce your risk of dementia through stopping smoking, weight loss and much more visit the Hywel Dda website.
This diagram shows how different factors influence dementia risk at different stages of life. We have more control over some factors than others. We may not be able to reduce air pollution, but we can be more physically active and make healthier food choices.
