Geriatrics provides healthcare focused on our unique needs as we age. Comprehensive geriatric care includes preventive, diagnostic and treatment services to help seniors stay healthy and happy.
Geriatrics is not just for our most senior citizens, however; it is a good idea to seek the consultation of a geriatrician as early as your fifties or sixties to find out your risk factors for certain diseases and work with a doctor to come up with a preventative healthcare plan.
By being proactive and working on living a healthy lifestyle earlier in the aging process, you can minimize your risk of many health problems that commonly affect older adults.
What does a geriatric doctor do?
Geriatric doctors, or geriatricians, specialize in the needs of aging bodies and minds.They are dedicated to providing care that emphasizes prevention and a holistic understanding of the person’s wellbeing.
Geriatricians seek to understand and support everything from the person’s quality of life, such as their mobility, mood, and energy levels, to their immediate health concerns such as any medications or procedures they may need.
In this way, not only the medical needs of older adults but also their psychosocial, spiritual, and existential needs are important aspects of geriatric care.
Geriatricians often work with a large team of healthcare professionals including nurses, pharmacists, social workers, physician assistants, and others. They coordinate and oversee your care when you need to seek the help of a specialist, have a procedure done, or communicate with other healthcare providers so that they clearly understand your condition.
What specialists are included in CCG's geriatric programs?
- Behavioral Health
- Diabetes Care
- Heart Care
- Internal Medicine
- Neurology
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopedics
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Rheumatology
- Strike Care
- House Calls services
Why is Geriatrics important? What can it do for me?
Geriatrics is an important specialty to understand and value because as we age, the changes in our minds and bodies need to be understood and cared for.
From a societal point of view, geriatrics is crucial because our population continues to age. Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 will double from 11% to 22%.
The more people are aware of this specialty and make use of it, the more we can work to improve health outcomes for the elderly, lower overall costs, and fund research into treatment and cures for ailments specific to this demographic.
Geriatrics is a key part of a widespread and growing movement for a more age-friendly health system. According to the John Hartford Foundation, a philanthropic Bernards pharmacy organization dedicated to care for older people, age-friendly Tramadol health means:
- Providing older adults with the best healthcare possible
- Reducing specific harms faced by the elderly more than others
- Ensuring that older adults, their families, and caregivers are satisfied with care
- Improving the value of care for us all, including the professionals who make that care possible
In summary, what is Geriatric Medicine?
For a simple way to understand the healthcare needs of older adults, the American Geriatrics Society’s Health in Aging Foundation came up with a simply expressed “5M” model of geriatric care. These principles aptly summarize the special knowledge and responsibilities of geriatricians, including our team of geriatricians at CCG:
- Know what Matters to older adults in order to help them make the right healthcare decisions
- Reviewing, minimizing, and eliminating any Medications that may be unnecessary or cause harm
- Taking care of older adult’s Mind by addressing problems such as dementia, delirium, and depression
- Prioritizing older adult’s Mobility, or their ability to move (independently or with assistance)
- Managing various health conditions at once, or the Multi-complexity of an older adult’s health picture
If you would like to make an appointment with a geriatric physician near me, give us a call at (954) 255-7310. Or maybe you would like to make an appointment with online doctors.
Walk-ins are welcome, same-day appointments are available. We are open during weekdays and on Saturdays in our Plantation office.