If you or your loved one are 60 years of age or older, are you getting the right health care? Unfortunately, all too many people don’t see a primary care doctor or provider on a regular basis. If they become ill or injured, they don’t know where to go and lack continuity of care.
Furthermore, visits to urgent care or the emergency room can be very costly with long wait times.
Thankfully, AgeWell Medical Associates, PC, in Colorado Springs, we specialize in on-site primary care for patients the age of 60 years or older. Overall, we help you save time, money, and enjoy life longer and healthier.
Give us a call today to schedule your primary care appointment:
Keep reading for answers to common questions people have about primary care for older adults …
What Is Primary Care?
Primary care is exactly what it sounds like, generalized medical care. This means it includes any and all medical care from vaccinations to cancer screenings and everything in between.
Not only is primary care important for maintaining good health, it is your front line of defense against more severe, life-threatening conditions such as cancer or heart disease.
How Does Primary Care Help You?
You cannot overstate the value of primary care. The following are a few reasons finding a primary care provider is vital in maintaining long-term health:
- Primary Care Helps You Live Longer: Mywheaton.org states that people with a primary care medical professional actually live longer than those without one. This is because people who regularly visit a primary care professional are more apt to discover life-shortening illnesses like stroke, heart disease, or even cancer. Generally, the sooner these serious medical conditions are detected, the sooner and better chance medical intervention can prevent loss of life.
- All Encompassing Care: A primary care doctor is trained diagnose and treat a broad range of medical conditions. This can include injuries, diseases, allergies, and more.
- They Know You and Provide Personalized Care: By visiting your primary care provider on a regular basis best assures continuity of care. Even if you visit another medical specialist, the emergency room, or urgent care, it’s important to share the details and records of your visit with your primary care provider. He or she can then better understand and know your health history to best provide you the appropriate and personalized care.
- They Can Coordinate Your Care: In some cases, you may be referred to a specialist. However, your primary care provider will still continue to coordinate your overall care plan. He or she can help explain the various treatments and diagnosis given to you by other medical professionals.
- They Help You Stay Healthy: Your primary care provider can help you stay out of the hospital by recommending healthy lifestyle choices, monitoring medications, conducting regular exams, and asking you questions about your overall health. The healthier you are, the more you can enjoy life and go about your day.
- They Provide Much Needed Screenings: Colonoscopies, glucose testing, mammograms, blood pressure monitoring and more can all be performed or arranged by your primary care provider. These routine screenings can be the difference between life and death when it comes to finding illnesses in their earliest stages.
- They Save You Time: Life is busy. Thankfully, primary care can save you time. You can schedule a time to be seen, often the same day, and alleviate long wait times at urgent care or the emergency room.
- Saves You Money: According to HealthCare.gov, the average three-day hospital stay costs around $30,000. The aim of primary care is to prevent, find, and treat problems early in order to help avoid more serious health complications.
What’s Different About Primary Care for Patients Aged 60 and Older?
The US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health states that it is well known that older adults make up the bulk of patients in the health care system. These older adults often have chronic conditions. They also are usually seen by many providers, in various facilities. The end result is often a confusing and unorganized hodgepodge of medical care. Primary care is the answer to this problem. It is taking the convoluted mess that is medical care for an older adult and putting it all into one person’s skilled hands. AgeWell will oversee all the medical needs of an older adult, moving them into a much better situation than if they tried to manage their own health care.
Primary care is a vital part of well-rounded medical care. Sure, you might still have to see a specialist now and again. However, simply having a go-to point person will reduce the overall confusion of your medical care. It will also save you time, money and help you establish a valuable relationship with a trusted medical professional.