Erie Center on Health & Aging,
Geriatric Assessment Center, 1999

Geriatricians are medical doctors who are specially trained in the care of older adults. The goal of geriatric primary care is to maintain health and independence. Primary care doctors who are geriatricians take care of the whole person, not just the illness, and coordinate all aspects of medical and health care. This goal and philosophy is a key difference from other types of specialties and care. When a person needs a specialist for treatment of a specific illness or condition, the patient may be referred to a physician with that expertise or specialization. But, all aspects of overall care are coordinated by their primary care physician.

Geriatric primary care is different due to the type of illness that an older person may have and the medicine they require. Older adults most often experience chronic or long term illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and arthritis which require medical management for an extended time; rather than short, acute illnesses for which there is a quicker cure. The goal of geriatric primary care is to maintain health and functional ability, to "keep you going" instead of providing a "quick cure" to the problem. Above all, our geriatric physicians will not simply dismiss a concern as "just old age." There is always something that can be tried to make the patient more comfortable, at any age. Geriatric physicians are experts in helping the patient take several medications at once, to take an appropriate dose and not too much or too little for that person's needs, and to avoid side effects from interactions of multiple medications.

A third difference is a focus on the person and their unique needs due to many changes and challenges in their stage of adult life. Our geriatric physicians understand that older adults often have multiple medical problems, plus emotional and social needs, and are trained to assess those needs and the impact on their health. For example, many older adults live alone, have family living out-of-town, have lost loved ones, and face loneliness or inability to drive or do things for themselves like they used to. The focus for our doctors and our team of medical professionals is to provide complete, personal, confidential evaluations to determine medical needs, plus emotional, family and social concerns. Click here for a description of this evaluation process through our Geriatric Assessment Center.

A fourth way that makes geriatric primary care different is a particular expertise in evaluations for dementia and other memory problems, and the best possible continuing treatment and care for a person. Click here for more information to learn more about signs and symptoms of concern.

Finally, what really sets our geriatric primary care service apart from the usual medical care you may have encountered in this day and age is that it is person-centered. Our doctors talk to -- and listen to -- you. Caring is often a family affair, and many family members accompany their mother, father, aunt, uncle, or grandparent to the appointment, so that our doctors will talk to the family member, to get additional information and to explain how they can assist in care.

Remember, the goal at our practice in geriatric primary care is to keep you healthy and independent, and to be partners in your health with you and your family members. Is the old time "family doctor" gone by the wayside? Not at all. They are just called Geriatricians now.

If you or someone you know would like the kind of personal attention that geriatric primary care provides, call our medical office at 814-453-5071 to make an appointment. The doctor is in.

Our Medical Director