Anyone taken your parents to a geriatric physician or seen one yourself? (thyroid, reviews)

[kaykay]

I'm considering taking my mother to one. I was just wondering if anyone here has had any experience with geriatricians (physicians who specialize in care of the elderly?) Did it seem valuable etc?

[susan42]

Originally Posted by kaykay

I'm considering taking my mother to one. I was just wondering if anyone here has had any experience with geriatricians (physicians who specialize in care of the elderly?) Did it seem valuable etc?

Well.it really depends on whether your mother has any problems and is on any meds.
Geriatricians are trained specifically in medicine in older age, and may screen for things that are common in elderly people, such as diabetes, thyroid probs,memory probs,high BP,and falls risks etc etc.Often elderly people end up on a huge number of meds that can cause probs due to side effects and drug interactions, so reg medication reviews are recommended.
I guess it depends on how good your family physician is at screening for these things.

[kaykay]

Yes, she is on several meds and that is one of the things I think needs to be looked at more closely. I have made an appointment for her with the physician that comes highly recommended, but she was not taking new patients until January. But I guess there's nothing pressing at this point that needs immediate attention.