Geriatric Medicine Q & A

What is geriatric medicine?

Geriatric medicine is medical care for older adults, as they often have a unique set of health care needs. Geriatric Medicine services available at Sunstate Medical Associates include:

• Medicare wellness visits
• Health screenings
• Diagnostic testing
• Physical exams
• Medications
• Speech therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Dental screenings
• Vision and hearing screenings

Seeing a specialist at Sunstate Medical Associates offers you premium medical care at any age, from adulthood through the golden years and beyond.

What happens during Medicare wellness visits?

During geriatic wellness exams, your Sunstate Medical Associates provider checks your blood pressure, pulse, other vital signs, and weight. They review your medical history including past and current diagnoses, medications, past surgeries, and family and personal history of disease.

Your provider completes a physical exam by evaluating your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, throat, breathing, abdomen, and heart rate. They can screen you for:

• Hearing and vision problems
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Dementia
• Mobility problems
• Arthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Depression

To diagnose your condition they might suggest heart function tests, blood tests, urine tests, or imaging procedures like X-rays, ultrasound, CT scans, or MRIs.

Which geriatric medicine treatments are available?

After a physical exam, medical history review, and diagnostic testing, your doctor might recommend one of the following:

Lifestyle changes

If you’re deficient in nutrients, are overweight or underweight, or have high blood pressure, osteoporosis, or another chronic disease, your doctor might recommend making diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes.

Medications

If you have an illness, injury, or chronic disease, your Sunstate Medical Associates provider may recommend you take oral medications or receive injections to better manage your condition.

Therapy

Speech, occupational, and physical therapy can improve your mobility, independence, and overall quality of life. Your primary care physician lets you know if any of these therapies are right for you and can refer you to a highly skilled therapist.

Mobility devices

If you have limited mobility due to age-related wear-and-tear, an injury, or a disease, your doctor lets you know if a brace, orthotics, cane, walker, or other mobility aid is right for you.

Specialist referrals

In the case of a complex medical problem requiring surgical procedures or a specialist’s care, your doctor refers out to a qualified provider in your area.

Maintain optimal health with the expert team at Sunstate Medical Associates. Schedule a geriatric medicine appointment over the phone or online today.