Female Geriatric Doctor – Geriatric Consultation

Our female geriatric doctor is passionate about healthy aging and maintaining a good quality of life throughout this process. As medical science progresses, complaints that were once considered an inevitable part of aging are now preventable and/or treatable. Sadly, most patients don’t realize this until their symptoms have significantly progressed. Our female geriatric doctor is boarded in geriatric medicine. A geriatric doctor has received additional training in preventing, diagnosing, and treating geriatric syndromes, or diseases that are unique to the older adult. Geriatric syndromes include, but are not limited to:

• Weight loss and failure to thrive
• Frailty
• Memory problems or dementia
• Delirium
• Insomnia
• Pressure ulcers and wounds
• Visual and hearing deficits
• Elder abuse and self-neglect

Older adults have special healthcare needs that can make their medical care more complicated. More than half of adults age 65 and older have 3 or more medical problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, or high blood pressure. Caring for older people with multiple health problems can be tricky, even for geriatric doctors. For example, prescribing medications for a patient with multiple health problems is more complex. A drug that might be useful in treating one health problem can make another problem worse, and taking multiple medications can cause problematic drug interactions and side effects.

What is a Geriatric Doctor?

A geriatric doctor, also called a geriatrician, is a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease and disability in older adults. Geriatric doctors are primary care doctors who are specially trained in the aging process.

A geriatric doctor is a physician who has completed a residency in either Internal Medicine or Family Medicine with an additional one or two year fellowship training in the medical, social, and psychological issues that concern older adults. This specialty is increasing in importance as the population ages and that aging population lives longer.

People over the age of 85 are the fast growing segment of the population. It is no longer a rarity for people to live to be one hundred. A geriatric doctor specializes in care for people 65 and older. Just as a pediatrician tends to the needs of a child, a geriatrician cares for the special needs of changing seniors. Geriatric doctors approach each patient’s needs individually, and possess the knowledge and expertise needed to accommodate seniors.

While many seniors believe that the reason they are not feeling well is because they are getting older, this is not always the case. The problems they are experiencing may be related to an illness or injury not at all caused by age. This is why it is important to seek the helpful knowledge of a geriatric doctor.

This type of physician practice far exceeds simply diagnosing a physical problem and treating it. Geriatric doctors collect information about patient’s lifestyles, community, family, and their entire medical history.

Another benefit of geriatric doctors is the amount of time they give their patients. Geriatrics doctors usually schedule longer appointments to make sure that older adults have enough time to discuss all of their medical concerns with their doctors. Typically, geriatric doctors are superb primary care providers, focusing on wellness and preventive health as well as managing chronic medical conditions.