The health care system has two essential components – patients and health professionals. Their relationship is the primary reason the health system is sustaining and working efficiently. Every health care professional works within specific boundaries. Primarily ethical considerations and legislation have determined these boundaries.
Further, primary care is essential for every individual in society. It is one of humanity’s inherent human rights and well within the health professionals’ moral responsibility. Therefore, people rely on the health care system for primary care. Additionally, older adults rely entirely on them due to their critical body functions and weak immune system.
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Most senior citizens are prone to certain limitations. Moreover, their deteriorating conditions deprive them of access to many social amenities. Eventually, they are excluded from society and become vulnerable. Hence, they require extensive care and proper treatment when it comes to the provision of primary care.
Multiple reasons indicate the significance of primary care for the elderly. The importance of geriatric care is as follows.
According to statistics, one out of three seniors goes to five doctors yearly. It is an alarming situation for them. Frequently getting consultations can be dangerous as they get medications from five different doctors. Every physician has a way of dealing with patients and may prescribe different kinds of medicine each time. Hence, this can be troublesome and costly for the elderly.
To avoid this situation, they require integrated and comprehensive care. Simply put, the elderly needs a primary care provider. A primary care provider provides restorative care and treatment. They monitor the patient’s overall geriatric health. Moreover, they serve as a bridge between them and their specialists. This way, they are the ones to keep track of the senior’s records and align with the health goals of their specialists.
Primary care providers also make referrals at the time of urgent need. Hence, it relieves the elderly from the burden of exchanging information with specialists. This way, when the elderly become a part of the primary care, he receives the care through different means. He interacts with nurses, lab workers, and other attendants. They serve as a mediator in delivering adequate care and treatment.
When the elderly become a part of the primary care, he is examined regularly. The examining and scrutinizing procedure is an extensive way of checking body functioning. Hence, that person goes through different screening procedures. Some of them are blood pressure evaluation, ultrasound, laboratory investigation, echocardiography, physical examination, etc. Therefore, this early screening and checkups improve the odds of early detection, such as breast cancer.
Moreover, early detection increases the survival of that person. Hence, when a person enrolls in primary care, he can get significant advice from an expert. Due to primary care, breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, etc., are detected at early stages.
Say, a 55-year-old woman visits a primary care provider for her regular check-up. The physician detected specific abnormalities in her ovaries, and later she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Hence, due to early detection, her survival chances significantly increase. Hence, primary care yields optimum health outcomes. Therefore, I would prefer to visit an internal medicine doctor near me for regular check-ups to avoid any unchecked abnormality, as illnesses involving internal organs often go unnoticed until significant damage has already been made.
Mostly the elderly have chronic and terminal conditions. Hence, they are struggling with them along with other health issues due to old age. A primary care provider helps them to alleviate those conditions. Many chronic conditions are accompanied by other ailments which are detrimental to health. Hence, every primary care provider aims to prevent those complications.
Getting an appointment with doctors or primary care providers helps you tackle the situation effectively. Primary care workers ensure that their complications are managed early. In the case of patients with obesity, they also have a high risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Here, their primary care provider will regularly monitor these parameters.
Similarly, people with dementia can also develop delusions. Hence, primary care aims to monitor their behavioral pattern for early detection of delusions. By giving proper care and medications, primary care can help in the management of chronic conditions. This management can prolong their life and help relieve their stress and anxiety.
Read Also: Why Do Elderly People Need Individualized Pharmaceutical Care in 2022?
Person-centered and holistic care is a healthcare method that empowers a person by giving them authority over their medical condition. Through this care, the primary care provider gives them an awareness of their diseases. Moreover, it trains them on how to manage their diseases at home. It guides them to live a better lifestyle, and one way of doing this is by giving them meal plans.
A person-centered approach teaches self-reliance and decision-making to the elderly. Hence, the primary care provider aims to provide a healthy lifestyle to patients. Through person-centered care, the elderly take charge of their life. Moreover, their health statuses significantly improve. This way, primary care providers work together with their patients.
Primary care aims to provide better health through the early management of diseases. As a form of preventive treatment, relying on primary care early on reduces their future expenses. Early treatment saves them from going to multiple specialists and spending exorbitant costs. Therefore, primary care saves them from unbearable treatment costs.
Elderly individuals are primarily relying on their pension or other forms of government assistance programs. Hence, they usually don’t have enough money to pay their treatment bills out of pocket. Most go out of their way to procure medical loans. However, their health conditions do not permit them to do a physical job. Primary care can avoid this additional stress by addressing health concerns and delivering urgent care during emergencies.
The elderly most often face cognitive problems. Fortunately, primary care providers help them cope with this burden. They provide streamlined communication for the elderly. They take over the monitoring of the seniors’ conditions and help them navigate through life living with their illness. The entire team’s goal is to offer the elderly a comfortable environment, despite living with chronic illnesses.
Primary care is an integral part of the health care system. Patients are getting significant benefits from this care. Moreover, it saves them from expensive treatment plans. Hence, it is a favorable way of helping elderly individuals with their health complications.
