If you get very sick or badly hurt and need help right away, you should use emergency medical services. These services use specially trained people and specially equipped facilities.

You may need care in the hospital emergency room (ER). Doctors and nurses there treat emergencies, such as heart attacks and injuries. For some emergencies, you need help where you are. Emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, do specific rescue jobs. They answer emergency calls and give basic medical care. Some EMTs are paramedics - they have training to do medical procedures on site. They usually take you to the ER for more care.

If you or someone you know needs emergency care, go to your hospital's emergency room. If you think the problem is life-threatening, call 911.

Health care can be costly. If you have health insurance, it usually pays at least part of your medical costs. If you don't have insurance or need help with costs that aren't covered, financial assistance might be available. Certain government programs and nonprofit organizations can help. You can also discuss concerns about paying your medical bills with your health care provider, social worker or the business office of your clinic or hospital.

Regular checkups with your health care provider are different from appointments for sickness or injury. These checkups include physical exams as well as preventive care. Preventative care may include:

• Screening tests, which are medical tests to check for diseases early, when they may be easier to treat. Which screenings you need will depend on your:
  • Age
  • Sex
  • Overall health
  • Family health history
  • Risks for certain diseases
• Vaccines, which can improve your health by preventing diseases and other health problems.
• Education and counseling to help you make informed health decisions. This could include advice about your lifestyle, including your diet, how much exercise you get, and any alcohol, tobacco, or other substances you may be using.

To make the most of your next check-up, here are some things to do before you go:

• Review your family health history
• Find out if you are due for any general screenings or vaccines
• Make and bring a list of issues and questions you would like to talk about with your provider
• Make and bring a list of any medicines, vitamins, supplements that you take

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Medicines can treat diseases and improve your health. If you are like most people, you need to take medicine at some point in your life. You may need to take medicine every day, or you may only need to take medicine once in a while. Either way, you want to make sure that your medicines are safe, and that they will help you get better. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration is in charge of ensuring that your prescription and over-the-counter medicines are safe and effective.

There are always risks to taking medicines. It is important to think about these risks before you take a medicine. Even safe medicines can cause unwanted side effects or interactions with food, alcohol, or other medicines you may be taking. Some medicines may not be safe during pregnancy. To reduce the risk of reactions and make sure that you get better, it is important for you to take your medicines correctly. You should also be careful when giving medicines to children, since they can be more vulnerable to the effects of medicines.

Mobility aids help you walk or move from place to place if you have a disability or an injury.

Types of mobility aids can include:

• Crutches
• Canes
• Walkers
• Wheelchairs
• Motorized scooters
• Prostheses, a device to replace a missing part of your body or make part of your body work better, such as a leg

Ramps, stairlifts, and handrails are also mobility aids. These additions can help you safely move around your environment.

Mobility aids can help people who have a physical disability or trouble moving around be more independent. A few reasons a mobility aid might help you include:

• If you are at risk of falling or are healing from a lower-body injury, you may need a walker or cane.
• You may use crutches to keep your body weight off your foot, ankle, or knee.
• You may need a wheelchair or a scooter if an injury or disease has left you unable to walk.
• Various mobility aids may also benefit people with certain health conditions or older adults.

Your health care provider or a physical therapist may help you choose a mobility aid. Choosing these devices takes time and research. You might need good upper body strength or balance to use some mobility aids safely. Otherwise, they may not be the best choice for you. You should be fitted for some mobility aids such as crutches, canes, and walkers. If they fit, these devices give you support, but they can be uncomfortable and unsafe if they don't.