4 Questions to Ask Your Geriatrician

There is no set age that geriatricians will only start seeing patients at; however, most patients do not go to see a geriatrician until they are around 65 years old. If you are interested in becoming a patient of a geriatrician, here’s a few reasons why it’s a good choice:

• Your body has become frail or impaired with age
• You are dealing with multiple conditions that require complex care as well as medication routines
• You can no longer receive adequate support from your caregivers and need proper medical attention for your age

Geriatric physicians offer specialized services in many of the age-related conditions and illnesses that seniors deal with as we get older. Several conditions geriatricians may treat include:

• Fall injuries

As we age, we may begin to develop signs like issues with balance and mobility problems that can easily lead to a fall. Geriatric doctors treat all falls that you may suffer from due to this, and many patients result in having broken hips due to their fall injuries.

Geriatricians are able to perform a fall assessment to discover or address any of your fall risks which may include:

• Vision problems
• Chronic diseases
• Foot problems
• Cognitive impairment
• Weakness vertigo
• Environmental hazards like slippery or easily manipulated rugs, poor lights and stairs or steps.

• Dementia
Dementia is described as having several brain diseases that also come with memory loss that is severe enough to disrupt your daily life. Many patients who deal with Alzheimer’s disease also deal with Dementia. Geriatricians have the tools to diagnose the cause of your dementia and can offer a multitude of treatment options to help you as well as your caregivers and loved ones to plan for your future.

• Incontinence
Urinary incontinence is a major problem many older adults deal with. This is also an issue many do not want to talk to their doctors or geriatricians about either due to embarrassment or something else; however, this is a normal aspect of aging. Geriatric doctors offer medications or surgeries as options to help.

• Depression
Geriatricians go through mental health training during their education at university, to help assess their patient’s moods during appointments. Depression is common in older adults and does not look the same as what you may see in younger adults. Many of the symptoms that depression showcases in older adults include dizziness or shortness of breath.

• Cardiovascular disease
Geriatric doctors see many patients who have already experienced stroke or heart attacks previously and many of these patients may deal with cardiovascular disease as well.

Many problems that older adults start to deal with as they age that geriatricians can deal with include:

• Bladder control problems
• Sleep issues
• Delirium
• Dementia
• Falls
• Osteoporosis
• Weight loss

Geriatricians are another form of primary care, but they only focus on older patients. The patients that usually go to see a geriatrician are around 65 years or older, and want a specialist doctor to help with their aging issues.

Many geriatricians practice in settings like outpatient services, nursing facilities and hospitals.

Geriatricians medical education and residency is completed through medical schools and are in addition to gaining medical licenses to become board certified physicians.

The steps you must complete to become a geriatric doctor include:

• Four years of medical school
• Three to five years of full-time residency training program at either a hospital, outpatient facility or nursing facility
• Must obtain an unrestricted medical license to be able to practice in the USA or Canada
• Pass a medical exam that was created by a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties

Their education and experience before becoming geriatricians is extensive, and offers them the knowledge they will need to move into the field of geriatric medicine.

If you have other questions to ask our doctors at Suburban Health Associates, we welcome you to call us or schedule an appointment through our website! We serve patients from Naperville IL, Plainfield IL, Joliet IL, Romeoville IL, Shorewood IL, Crest Hill IL, and Aurora IL.