There are plenty of senior health articles to be found on the internet; however, rarely is the importance of coordinating senior healthcare ever brought up.

As seniors age, they will have many more doctors appointments with specialists, testing, and various other office visits related to vision, hearing, screenings, and more.  If there are underlying medical issues, the time spent at doctors offices will be even greater.

In order to help aging patients and their caregivers save time by not duplicating efforts, it is highly beneficial to have a “Primary Care Physician” as a central point of contact for all medical care.  This could be your local general physician or a geriatric doctor, many of which can make home visits.   The Primary Care Physician will coordinate all healthcare efforts for the aging patient.  By having this central point of contact, this primary care physician will know and understand all of the aging patient’s medical issues, testing that has been done, medications prescribed, and general well being, allowing them to better evaluate the appropriate medical care for the patient as a whole.  In addition, they can often help with prescribing appropriate medical equipment to assist the aging patient at home. Knowing the full details of the patient’s medical history will allow proper care and avoid unnecessary tests, treatments, medications, and office visits.

For example, if you went to a specialist for each condition separately, their staff will only know the medical details you provide to them.  By coordinating care through your primary care physician, you may still need to see specialists for various medical issues, but if tests are needed that may have already been done by a previous specialist, this will be known by your primary care physician and test results can be shared.

KYRSTEN MASSA PHOTO Shelter Island’s Dr. Nathanael Desire

In general, it is a good idea to keep your Primary Care Physician not only in the loop, but as the main point of contact for all medical issues, so he/she can provide the most appropriate care based on the individual as a whole.

Read the source of inspiration for this article at “Doctors offer advice for the aging patient and their caregivers”

Source:  Julie Lane @ Shelter Island Reporter