4 yanktonmedicalclinic.com Help is here For an appointment with Dr. Fillaus, call 605-665-1082. The benefits of geriatric expertise By Jennifer A. Fillaus, DO, board-certified internal medicine, nephrology and geriatric medicine; Yankton Medical Clinic, P.C. Improvements in health and health care have led to a worldwide increase in longevity. In the United States alone, there are more than 46 million adults age 65 and older, and that number is expected to continue to rise.1 Population aging is creating a greater need for specialized care. This is where geriatricians and geriatric medicine are important to the health care system. Geriatricians are physicians who completed a residency in internal medicine or family medicine and then completed training specializing in treating older adults. Geriatrics is the health care specialty dedicated exclusively to providing high-quality, person-centered care for older adults. Personcentered care places the values and preferences of the patient at the heart and center of their plan of care and medical decisions. References: 1Mate, K.; Fulmer, T.; Pelton, L.; Berman, A.; Bonner, A.; Huang, W.; Zhang, J. Evidence for the 4Ms: Interactions and Outcomes across the Care Continuum. J Aging Health. 2021 Aug-Sep;33(7-8):469-481. doi: 10.1177/0898264321991658. Epub 2021 Feb 8. PMID: 33555233; PMCID: PMC8236661. 2American Geriatrics Society (Americangeriatrics.org). 3Fulmer, T.; Patel, P.; Levy, N.; Mate, K.; Berman, A.; Pelton, L.; Auerbach, J. (2020). Moving toward a global age‐friendly ecosystem. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 68(9), 1936-1940. 4Lundy, J.; Hayden, D.; Pyland, S.; Berg‐Weger, M.; Malmstrom, T. K.; Morley, J.E. (2021). An age‐friendly health system. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 69(3), 806-812. 5Tinetti, M.E.; Esterson, J.; Ferris, R.; Posner, P.; Blaum, C.S. (2016). Patient priority–directed decision making and care for older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Clinics in geriatric medicine, 32(2), 261-275. 6Motter, F.R.; Fritzen, J.S.; Hilmer, S.N.; Paniz, É.V.; Paniz, V.M.V. (2018). Potentially inappropriate medication in the elderly: a systematic review of validated explicit criteria. European journal of clinical pharmacology, 74, 679-700. Your time to thrive Who benefits from geriatric expertise? According to the American Geriatrics Society, it’s best to start working with a geriatrics professional when: ● An older person’s condition causes considerable impairment or frailty (this tends to happen after age 75 or when someone starts managing a number of health conditions).2 ● An older person’s family, friends or other caregivers start feeling considerable stress related to care.2 ● Older adults or their caregivers start having trouble following complex treatments or working with many different health care professionals for multiple health needs.2 At the core of geriatric medicine practice are the 4Ms—what matters, medication, mentation and mobility.1, 3, 4 This means: ● Prioritizing the older adult patient’s values and preferences to create their unique plan of care.1, 3, 4, 5, 6 ● Prescribing age-friendly medications and avoiding high-risk medications that may interfere with mental activity and function.1, 3, 4, 5, 6 ● Addressing the prevention, identification, treatment and management of dementia, depression and delirium. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 ● Ensuring older adults are able to move safely every day to maintain functional ability and enjoy life.1, 3, 4, 5, 6 “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
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