The Importance of Primary Care to The Elderly
More than 70 million seniors do not have a dedicated primary care provider. One reason for that is the continuous increase in healthcare costs, making many older adults opt out of regular visits to the doctor’s office for early screening. Hackensack primary care involves routine health care and treatment of diseases to promote your general well-being. Studies show that having a primary health caregiver has many benefits, including early detection and treatment of an emerging health condition. Therefore, below are the comprehensive benefits of having a primary care provider as a senior citizen.
Provision of integrated care
According to research, one out of three seniors see about five health providers annually. If you consult different doctors, you will get an array of medications. Doctors often approach diagnosis and treatment differently and thus are highly unlikely to prescribe similar medicines for your condition. Therefore, dealing with your health situation becomes problematic and also expensive.
The solution is to adopt an integrated approach to care. A primary caregiver can offer you care that prevents severe attacks by health issues and restores your health. That happens since there is constant monitoring of your health, and a primary caregiver can be the link between specialists and provide crucial information about your health.
Early screening and diagnosis of a health issue
When you have primary care, it means a routine examination of your health. Your doctor will constantly subject you to different diagnostic procedures, including CT scans, blood pressure testing, eye tests, colonoscopy, x-rays, and ultrasounds.
If your doctor examines you regularly, there is a high chance of catching a disease in the early stages. Early disease detection increases the chances of a treatment working and your survival. An illness that needs detection and treatment to happen early is cancer.
Better management of a chronic condition
As an older adult, it is a common occurrence to have a chronic condition. You can have conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, arthritis, and high blood pressure. You may also have other associated health issues if you have a chronic condition. For instance, if you are obese or overweight, you are susceptible to high blood sugar levels and heart diseases.
When constantly in contact with a primary caregiver, there is better management of your severe ailment and its complications. Your doctor will provide you with proper care.
Allows person-centered approach to care
Your primary caregiver will educate you more about your disease or condition and provide the necessary information to manage yourself at home better. For example, your doctor may tell you about healthy lifestyle choices, including the food to eat, to enable better health management.
Since the approach to care is personal, you can always ask any questions.
Affordable treatment
Because of early screening and detection, your doctor can start addressing your issue before it worsens and becomes difficult to treat and manage. Therefore, the cost you incur in prevention or treatment is bearable.
Contact All Health Medical Group today for specialized primary care.