This group of patients typically are those over 65 years old. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you need a geriatrician.
Distinguishing features for true Geriatric patients has to do with frailty, or lack thereof. Do you have home-limiting medical problems, those that make it difficult for you to go to routine check ups and specialist appointments or laboratories? Do you have difficulty walking (use a cane, walker or wheelchair)? Do you no longer drive due to medical reasons? Have you recently been discharged from a hospital and need home health services?
I hope you get the idea. You are not prepared for driving to a primary or other care office, waiting for a 7 minute visit when you have a laundry list of medical concerns you wish to review. It’s not that any medical provider would not want to address those. They just are not given the time.
Geriatric medical care requires a thorough knowledge of internal medicine and the aged population. Geriatrics are treated differently than other adults and should be. Treatment standards of care are not the same and sometimes what we don’t do for our patients is just as important as what we do. A prime example of this is Polypharmacy, which I will discuss in upcoming posts.
I will be Medicare eligible by September but so far other than constant back and knee pain, and so on, I can still drive and function well enough to see my patients in their homes or apartments.
I guess I am not a true member