I'm sure we can all remember the times (or at least stories of the times) when doctors made house calls. One doctor for a small town that would visit whenever called - scenes of hurried phone calls all hours of the night. Those days may be gone but house calls have returned and are growing in popularity especially with older people.
5 Reasons for You to Consider Switching to a Geriatric House Calls Practice (even if you are not housebound)
1. Personalized and Comprehensive Care at Your Doorstep:
Its natural that primary care relationships should happen in the home. The setting allows for more comfort for the patient. It eliminates the need for uncomfortable waiting rooms brimming with respiratory illnesses. Imagine your visit occuring in your favorite arm chair rather than a cold exam room. Visits occur on your schedule without long waits. The provider is able to see how you move in your environment and can troubleshoot issues with your space in mind.
2. Improved Access and Timely Interventions:
House call practices are intentionally small, limiting the number of patients in the panel. This allows for better access to appointments including same or next day urgent care visits. Improved access allows for timely intervention before concerns escalate. Many treatments can be provided right in your home (labs, meds, wound care) avoiding visits to urgent care centers and emergency rooms.
3. Family Involvement and Support:
As we get older - its natural for more family involvement in medical appointments. House calls make it much easier for family and loved ones to be involved. Consider the significant other that has mobility issues and cant get to clinic visits but wants to be supportive. The space is accomodating to all - no more squeezing into a small clinic room. Visits at home allow for the necessary space and flexibility.
4. Chronic Disease Management and Preventive Care:
Much like a typical primary care practice - chronic disease management and preventative care are the focus. However we have access to you monitoring devices such as scales and glucometers. Medications are easily reviewed. Interventions can be tailored to your home environment so they are effective after just one visit rather than the trial and error approach that clinic visits often have.
5. Holistic View of Health in the Home Setting:
Geriatric-specific primary care is very important as we age. Geriatric providers are specialized in caring for older people. They have an in-depth understanding of the many chronic medical issues that people are living with (diabetes, COPD, heart disease, chronic pain). They are skilled in streamlining treatments so that interventions are targets and uncomplicated as possible. Given their skill in managing complex medical issues, they can often take the place of many specialists - minimizing the number of outside providers (appointments, visits and copays) you have to see.
If you have been considering switching healthcare providers - I encourage you to consider a geriatric primary care practice and house calls. You can find them together at Aging Grace House Calls - serving all seniors (not just those that are housebound) in the Bangor, ME area.
Comments