How We’re Missing the Mark in Meeting Senior Health Care Needs

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How We’re Missing the Mark in Meeting Senior Health Care Needs

If your child developed a high fever, who would you call? It’s a no-brainer; many parents have the number on speed dial for the pediatrician they’ve carefully selected to manage the health care needs of their children. With their specialized training, working with a trusted pediatrician ensures the best possible care.

Likewise, choosing a health care provider who specializes in senior health care needs is just as important. Yet sadly, the health care system as a whole has not placed a great emphasis on the unique health care needs of seniors. Dr. Carla Perissinotto, geriatrician and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, shares her concern over this age-related health care gap, and how little professors in med school are focused on elder care.

In fact, in her residency, she shares, “We literally did the same thing for forty-year-olds as we did for eighty-year-olds, and we’d treat all eighty-year-olds the same whether they’re dependent or independent, have limited life expectancy or complete life expectancy, and that just didn’t sit well with me.”

Thankfully, there is a push to provide medical students with additional geriatric training, including an emphasis on a holistic approach to senior health care – looking at the body as a whole. It’s important for older adults to have a trusted geriatrician who can oversee and put together the effects of the often multiple specialists a senior patient sees. In fact, providing additional training for anyone who comes in contact with seniors in a medical setting – from EMTs to hospital receptionists and triage workers to doctors and nurses – is crucial to combat ageism and ensure older adults receive the level of care they need and deserve.

Additionally, seniors and their family caregivers may want to look into the services of a geriatrician as their primary care physician. Not to be confused with gerontologists, who specialize in aging-related issues but are not medical doctors, geriatricians are board-certified physicians who have completed a fellowship in geriatric medicine and have passed the Geriatric Medicine Certification Exam.

There are approximately 300 geriatricians across Canada. You can assess potential geriatricians by asking the following types of questions:

  • What training and certification have you received?
  • Do you accept my insurance plan?
  • Will you collaborate with the rest of my healthcare team?
  • How is communication handled – email appointment reminders, texts about prescription refills, etc.?
  • What is your guiding philosophy?

Visit the geriatrician for an initial consultation, and assess additional details such as:

  • Is the office easy to access?
  • Is there plenty of parking?
  • Are the staff respectful and courteous?
  • Does the geriatrician speak directly to the senior?
  • Are questions answered thoroughly?

Pay attention to your gut feelings. If any red flags are noted, you may want to consider searching further to ensure the geriatrician selected is someone you and the senior are fully comfortable with.

At Amy’s Helping Hands, the leading provider of home care in Windsor, Ontario and the nearby areas, our staff are fully trained in providing respectful, specialized care for seniors in the comfort of home. Contact us any time for assistance at 519-915-4370.

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