Physican and Health Professionals FAQ

  1. Rating: +0

    Positive Negative

    What can a Elder Care Specialist from My Mom n' Pop do for your medical practice?

    Every general practitioner should have a Gerontologist available to ensure the proper treatment of their elderly patients.

    There is a critical shortage of geriatrics-prepared health care professionals. In 2002 more than thirty-five million people were age sixty-five and older, and 23 percent of them reported poor or fair health.

    Today there is approximately one pediatrician for every 1,000 children, but only one geriatrician for every 2,000 elderly persons will be available by 2030. Older adults have many more health problems than younger adults do, with 26 percent of persons age sixty-five and older reporting poor or fair health in 1999, compared with 11.5–18.5 percent of persons ages 45–64.

    Older adults had more than 192 million visits to physicians’ offices in 1999, or 25 percent of all office visits. (NCHS, Health, United States, 2001.)

    Although some modest progress has been made, the number of nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and social workers specializing in geriatrics falls far short of demand. Geriatric content is woefully lacking in medical schools and nursing programs, and primary care and specialty health care professionals, who are likely to care for large numbers of older patients, continue to receive inadequate training in geriatrics.

    Only three of the nation’s 145 allopathic and osteopathic medical schools have a geriatrics department. Fourteen medical schools (less than 10 percent) require a geriatrics course. An additional eighty-six schools offer an elective in geriatrics, but only 3 percent of medical students register for these courses.

  2. Rating: +0

    Positive Negative

    Who Needs A Provider Who Has Training and Education in Gerontology?

    Every older adult needs a provider who has some education and training in gerontology or who have access in person, by phone, or via electronic communication to a elder care specialist.

    Today older people continue to turn to primary care physicians for assistance with their concerns and problems. However, cost pressures and the growth of managed care limit the time physicians can spend with patients.

    As physicians encounter more and more older patients, they often question just how far the scope of their medical practice extends into the broader social, economic, and environmental problems of their patients. It is too easy for physicians to limit their attention to monthly 15-minute office visits that are focused on medications to relieve symptoms.

    Addressing the dual goals of every health care worker’s having some education in gerontology and every provider’s having access to gerontology experts can be achieved by getting more health care providers to employ, contract with or have make available a professional who understands the myriad of issues that face this demographic.

  3. Rating: +0

    Positive Negative

    What About Group Practices?

    Group practices should use the elder care specialist as nurses, physician’s assistants, and other health care personnel are assuming expanded roles in geriatric case management.

    With a My Mom n’ Pop’s Gerontologist on site, a new set of opportunities surrounding patient referral and interaction will emerge. The elder care specialist will receive “quick response” referrals from physicians. This change will have tremendous implications for the practitioner who cannot bill for the time he or she is spending counseling patients on issues for which he or she lacks expertise and time and will provide a valuable resource for patients and their caregivers.

  4. Rating: +0

    Positive Negative

    What Do Caregivers Need From Doctors?

    Those who provide care for ill family members or friends are vital members of the health care team. Most of them have no formal training and rely to a great degree on what they learn from the attending physician and other health care professionals. Since so much care is provided in the home and few physicians make home visits, the following principles should serve as a guide to some of the things caregivers need from doctors.

    Communication: Lay persons don't understand technical, scientific language and may be reluctant to admit when they don not understand what the doctor is saying. The doctor should be sure the caregiver understands what is being said. Caregivers should make notes during conversations with the doctor and the doctor must ask the caregiver to repeat what they have been told to confirm that what they heard is what the doctor indeed meant.

    Contact: Caregivers need to know how and when to communicate with the doctor. The doctor must provide the numbers where he or she can be reached: office, answering service, perhaps pager, fax and e-mail address. The doctor should also tell the caregiver what to do when the doctor or on-call doctor cannot be reached.

    Questions: The doctor should assure the caregiver that there is no such thing as an inappropriate question. The doctor should encourage the caregiver the caregiver to write down any questions that arise and present them at the next opportunity. The doctor should tell the caregiver that it is better to ask a question than to assume anything.

    Emergencies: The doctor should let the caregiver know what constitutes an emergency and provide instructions about what to do and whom to notify.

    Current Condition: The doctor should provide the caregiver with an understanding of the patient's current physical and emotional condition in terms that a lay person can understand.

    Anticipated Change: The doctor should tell the caregiver about any changes that can be anticipated in the foreseeable future. This reduces the likelihood of needless caregiver concern when predicted changes do occur.
    Medications: The doctor should provide the caregiver with a list of what side effects to look for. The doctor should indicate when the medications should be given. Also, the doctor should tell the caregiver to request prescription refills before the weekend.

    Records: The doctor should tell the caregiver what records should be kept, including notes on bowel and bladder function, sleep, the presence of pain (on a scale of 1 to 10) and any other evidence of discomfort. The caregiver should use these records when reporting to the doctor.

    Resources: The doctor should inform the patient and caregiver of any local resources that may be of assistance to them, including information about medical supplies, durable medical equipment, home-health agencies, and sources of caregiver support.

    Documents: The doctor should encourage the patient to prepare documents regarding end-of-life care, including a will, durable power of attorney for health care, and orders regarding resuscitation. If the patient no longer has the capacity to make these decisions, the doctor should encourage the surrogate to prepare the documents.

    Hospice: At the same time end-of-life documents are discussed, the doctor should raise the question of hospice, especially if the patient has a life-threatening or incurable illness. Many of the services and supports listed here are available at no cost to patients with a life expectancy of six months or less who opt for palliative rather than curative therapies.

    Follow-up: The doctor must assure the caregiver of continuing contact. The doctor, or someone who works with the doctor, must speak with the caregiver on a regular basis.

    Recognition: Most people question their adequacy in providing care to a sick or disabled family member or friend. The doctor must let the caregiver know that his or her contribution is valuable and much appreciated. A word of thanks from the doctor helps sustain the morale of the caregiver. The doctor should also check to see that the caregiver is getting enough rest and adequate relief from other family or professional caregivers.

Leave a Reply