How to find a doctor interested in providing care for aging patients?

Posted by codered032 @codered032, Feb 14, 2025

I am new to this group so I will try to keep this short. I am 74yo, have been relatively stable health. I have arthritis and have had joint replacement surgery which has been successful. I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease in 2019 and treated with a nephrologist. I have been in remission for over two years. Medical treatment has become so specialized. The doctor will only address his area of treatment. Nobody looks at the patient as a whole person. Office visits are limited to 15 minutes and I am lucky if I speak with the doctor for five of those 15 minutes. I am currently on no prescription medication for chronic illness. Last year I attempted to establish a relationship with a gerontologist who never examined me. She reviewed my health history, that was obtained by the nursing assistant, asked a few questions, ordered routine labs, and never scheduled a follow up visit. Recently I called to ask for pain management because I was having an arthritis crisis and her only suggestion was Tylenol. I attend warm water therapy 3-4 X week and Tylenol was of little benefit. She showed no concern for my current condition. I have never asked for pain medication nor have I ever complained about my arthritis. I got the impression that she thinks that at 74 I am going to have pain and that I have to adjust to it. I know that at this stage of my life I need a trusting primary physician who is willing to listen and be interested in my overall health. Any suggestions for finding a doctor who is interested in providing care for aging patients?

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Profile picture for ellu @ellu

Dear people,
I have just caught up with all your posts about doctors and ageing, and as I am 72 and suffer from a terminal illness I can identify with all your comments. In medicine there is a specialized field called Gerontology. Gerontoligists are doctors who specialize in treating older patients, and are aware of the process of ageing and experienced in treating the multiple issues and illnesses that we come across in old age. I don't know whether you have ready access to doctors, but I would recommend you ask your GP to refer you to a gerontologist who will be sensitive to your needs and issues. He/she can be a one-stop go- to doctor to help you navigate your multiple problems. Each specialist only sees the problems in his/her area, but a gerontologist can pull all the threads together and advise you on a plan to deal with all the different issues. What have you got to lose?
Best wishes,
@ellu

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@ellu there aren’t enough gerontologists ! Even in nyc, we had to be on a wait list….my husband had a great one at the end of his life, made a huge difference.

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