SEEING A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN (PCP) IS IMPORTANT FOR GENERAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS. BUT WHAT SHOULD SENIORS LOOK FOR IN A PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR?
Primary care is continuous healthcare that addresses your mental and physical wellbeing through disease prevention and chronic illness management. You see your PCP for checkups, vaccinations, concerns about your health, and for ongoing issues like diabetes or hypertension.
When looking for an adult
primary care doctor, there are many types of physicians to choose from.
PCPs are typically trained in internal medicine, family medicine, or
geriatric medicine.
Understanding the difference between these types of doctors will help you decide which is right for you.
Internal
medicine doctors, also called internists, treat patients from age 18 to
over 100. Internists are trained to prevent, diagnose, and treat
disease and manage chronic illness. Similarly, family medicine doctors
focus on prevention, diagnosis, and disease management, but they see an
even wider age range of
patients, from birth to over 100. Because of the age range, family
medicine doctors have additional training and skills related to
pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology.
Geriatric
medicine physicians are specifically trained to address the needs of
seniors. Working only with patients aged 65 and over, geriatricians
focus on the physical, mental, and social health of older people. In
addition to preventing, diagnosing, and managing chronic disease,
geriatricians are trained to target elements of health and wellness that
affect quality of life, like physical limitations, mobility issues,
cognitive changes, isolation, and other challenges within the
home environment. Geriatricians are adept at helping patients and their
families navigate challenging diseases like osteoporosis, cancer,
Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Perhaps most importantly,
geriatricians strive to provide holistic healthcare that aligns with
each person’s priorities.
Regardless
of which PCP you see, the ideal doctor is someone with whom you feel
comfortable and trust. It is also important to recognize that as you
transition from one stage of life to another, the doctor best for you
will change, too. Just as children are cared for by doctors with
pediatrics training, and adults are well cared for by internists or
family medicine doctors, seniors should strongly consider if a
geriatrician is right for them.
For
seniors, two of the biggest barriers to primary care are 1) difficulty
accessing care due to transportation or mobility issues; and 2) feeling
like their doctor does not listen to them and their concerns. New and
innovative primary care models, like Welcome Health, are emerging to
address these concerns.
Believing
that older people have earned the right to respectful, accessible, and
convenient primary care, Welcome Health is one of the only primary care
providers in L.A. and Orange County to make house calls. Through this
innovative home-based primary care model, Welcome Health delivers all
the benefits of geriatric medicine directly to your door, including
preventive care, chronic disease management, and treatment and support
for aging-related conditions that affect seniors’ quality of life.
Communication is of utmost importance at Welcome Health because the team
anchors your care around your priorities, values, and health
objectives, so that every decision is made within the context of what
matters most to you.
Your
relationship with your PCP is built on regular visits, communication,
and trust. Look for doctors who listen to your concerns, align your care
with your personal priorities, and support you through disease or
age-related challenges if or when they arrive. Ultimately, primary care
should focus on your physical and mental wellbeing, helping you live
life in the ways that matter most to you. To learn more, visit welcomehealth.org.