Who needs a Geriatrician?
Photo by a.drian via Flickr
Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that focuses on health care of the elderly. A physician who specializes geriatric medicine, a geriatrician, has training and certification in addition to their regular medical training to help them care for older adults and their specific medical needs.
According the the The American Geriatrics Society, “geriatricians manage multiple disease symptoms and develop care plans that address the special health care needs of older adults and coordinate care with other medical disciplines to treat the “whole” patient. Geriatricians are generally primary care physicians who are board-certified in either family practice or internal medicine and have also acquired the additional training necessary to obtain certification.”
While it’s not necessary that a geriatrician would become a person’s primary care physician, in certain situations it might make more sense to see a geriatrician if:
- their condition causes considerable impairment and frailty,
- they are an older adult with those medical problems primarily associated with aging,
- they have growing number of prescriptions, or
- the older adult who have multiple chronic health problems such as cardiovascular disease, memory problems, depression and a history of falls.
A geriatrician will address issues like Alzheimer’s disease (and other dementia), arthritis, chronic heart & lung disease, general decline, impaired overall function, incontinence, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, sensory problems like vision and hearing, and stroke. They also will look at the possible interactions and side effects that could come from the prescription and over-the-counter medications that seniors take. The geriatrician looks for mood disorders such as depression are common in older adults as well.
If you, or a loved one might need one, ask your primary care physician about recommending a geriatrician, or you can search for one:
- The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging Physician Referral Service, or call 800-563-4916
- Wellness.com Geriatrician locator
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