By Barbara Pierce
When your children were growing up, you probably took them to a pediatrician. You recognized that the healthcare needs of children are different from those of adults.
On the other end of the continuum, your health needs when you become an older adult are often quite different than those you had in your 30s, 40s, even 50s.
Choosing the right type of healthcare professional is essential to maintaining your overall health. This decision becomes even more important as you age.
Yet many older adults have no idea that there are specialists just for seniors. Or we don’t consider ourselves ready to see a “geriatric” doctor. Who wants to admit they’re “geriatric?”
Geriatricians are specialists trained to navigate the complexities of aging. Life can become very complex with the many medical issues aging generally presents.
We asked Stanislav Arkadyev for his thoughts on this. Arkadyev is a board-certified family practice physician with a specialty focus on geriatrics, practicing at Slocum-Dickson’s Burrstone campus in New Hartford.
Q.: Why should I consider having a specialist in geriatrics as my primary physician?
A.: A geriatrics specialist is trained specifically to handle the unique needs of older adults — often going beyond what a general family doctor provides. Geriatricians are trained to recognize subtle symptoms that might be missed or mistaken for normal aging.
Geriatrics healthcare professionals, like geriatricians and many others who have advanced training in the care of older adults, can play an essential role in diagnosing and managing these conditions and health needs based on what matters to each person.
Geriatrics providers focus on five key areas, known as the Geriatric 5Ms. The Ms stand for mind, mobility, medications, multi-complexity and what matters most. The Ms are a guiding structure that ensures older adults receive care that is designed for their specific needs. Each M addresses an essential aspect of care for older adults, guaranteeing a comprehensive approach to their health and improving their overall well-being.
• Mind: Evaluating mental health and cognitive function, as medical issues such as dementia get more prevalent with age. Aging often brings cognitive and emotional changes, making mental health a critical aspect of geriatric care.
Mind focuses on memory, cognition, mood and overall mental well-being.
Geriatricians employ screenings and assessments to detect cognitive changes early, allowing for timely interventions.
• Mobility: Focusing on maintaining functional independence, preventing falls and enhancing balance through physical or occupational therapy.
Mobility is essential to quality of life, as it means one can perform activities of daily living without assistance. Lessening mobility can lead to falls, injuries and less independence, a concern for most older adults. Mobility assessments are part of routine geriatric care, with interventions that enable older adults to stay active and independent.
• Medications: Aiming to eliminate unnecessary medications by reviewing medication lists. Medications are a double-edged sword for older adults. They can cause side effects or interactions when not managed carefully and older adults are more vulnerable to experiencing side effects.
Taking several medications, as so many older adults do, presents a significant challenge in geriatric care. Geriatricians carefully review all the medications one takes, considering dosages, potential interactions and whether they are even necessary.
• Multi-complexity: Managing multiple co-existing chronic conditions and coordinating care with specialists. Older adults often deal with more than one chronic condition. They may have diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, skin conditions or lung issues. They may see several different specialists. Multi-complexity refers to the intricate interplay of these conditions and how they affect overall health.
Geriatricians coordinate the care one receives from specialists. They are skillful at seeing the big picture, the conditions one has, how they interact with each other and impact one’s daily life.
• What Matters Most: Ensuring that all treatments are aligned and are individualized based on the patient’s goals and values. What truly matters to that specific patient, as everyone has priorities for their life and how they want to live. This ensures that their care plan matches their values and improves their well-being.
Q.: How would you describe your role as a primary physician to an older patient?
A.: “My job is to take care of you as a whole person, not just to treat individual illnesses. I help guide your overall care while focusing on what’s important for you and your family.
There’s no right age to start seeing a geriatric specialist. They can be helpful if you or a family member have multiple medical conditions, are experiencing a decline in functioning, have a disease associated with aging, such as dementia, incontinence or osteoporosis or take several medications. These issues often begin to occur when people are older than 75.
A specialist in geriatrics can make an important difference in the quality of your life.