Senior Medicine Provides Comprehensive Care for Complex Medical Needs

By Nicole D. Switzer, MD, Salt Lake Senior Clinic, Salt Lake City LIVING WELL Magazine

Senior patients are at a time of transition in their lives, a time when dynamic healthcare can make a big difference in maintaining quality of life and long-term wellness.

Caring for patients as they age can be increasingly complex as more physicians, medications and other treatments are introduced to manage arising health issues. Not only do the increasing complexities of healthcare come with the risk of less than optimal care, they place a burden of organization and even confusion on the patients who are supposed to be benefiting.

A physician who specializes in geriatric care can help navigate the changing healthcare landscape that comes along with the aging process.

Specialized Knowledge of Age-Related Health Issues

Age-related conditions present healthcare providers with challenges they do not often encounter when tending to younger patients. General or family practitioners may not have extensive experience in disabilities or illnesses that are more common to older adults. It is important to focus on age-related symptoms as well as the whole picture of health. Geriatric specialists offer a more complete knowledge of the issues that affect older patients and can help uncover contributing factors that may not be easily apparent.

In addition, geriatric specialists are often willing to spend extra time with older patients, facilitating a wider view of a senior individual’s health. Extended appointments—especially first visits—offer both the provider and patient more complete knowledge of one another and set the table for an open, positive and successful relationship.

Specialized Care Means Less Time in Exam Rooms

Sitting in doctors’ offices isn’t fun for anyone, and the logistics of getting to multiple appointments can be especially challenging for seniors. Choosing a provider who specializes in senior medicine and has broad expertise can save senior patients time by eliminating unnecessary appointments in addition to helping provide a complete view of their health.

Geriatric specialists can streamline doctors’ visits with other specialists by providing a central point for their healthcare and serving as a physician referral source when the need arises—rather than forcing patients to shuttle from doctor to doctor in search of answers.

Plus, a senior clinic can perform minor procedures in-office, such as treatment for skin lesions, joint injections and other issues, sparing patients extra time-consuming and unnecessary trips to a hospital.

Centralizing care to a senior specialist also gives patients a chance to consolidate and take ownership of their own medical history, empowering their healing with the knowledge of their complete wellness perspective.

Preventative Medicine Matters at Any Age

Older patients sometimes incorrectly believe that it’s too late to do anything proactive about their health. Taking preventative measures to improve overall health can have a big impact at any age.

A geriatric specialist can identify age-appropriate preventative steps and help create a plan to implement lifestyle changes that can improve quality of life more drastically than any medicine or therapy.

In fact, senior patients can see some of the most pronounced benefits from making positive changes in their lifestyle, essentially making them “younger” physiologically.

Treating the Whole Person, Not Just Their Symptoms

Complex health concerns can lead to complex treatments that leave patients feeling like they’re no more than the sum of their ailments. Having a central hub for healthcare with a senior medicine provider gives patients not only a straightforward point of contact for their well-being, it allows them to be treated as a whole person, complete with interconnected anatomical systems, emotions and personality.

Finding a provider that’s right for senior patients and their families can be a big step on the road to lifelong wellness and maximizing their ability to do the things they love.

Nicole Switzer focuses on senior care and uses her extensive background in internal medicine and geriatrics as well as an interest in cardiology, psychiatry and acute care to diagnose and treat her patients. She practices at the newly-opened Salt Lake Senior Clinic location at Jordan Commons at 9350 South 150 East, Suite 150 in Sandy.