Senior Care
Geriatric Medicine
Geriatric Medicine is a specialty that focuses
on medical issues and diseases of aging, and
of old age. Often referred to as a Geriatrician,
these specialized physicians treat people over
the age of 60, who may be healthy or experiencing
multiple medical issues. Geriatricians serve
as subject matter experts specializing in how
medical conditions can impact one another,
how medications interact with one another
and the unique affect medications and medical
issues have as you age. A unique qualifier for a
Geriatrician is that they must be certified by
two separate medical boards- internal or family
medicine as a foundation and then specialized
training in geriatrics. Geriatricians will have the
designation of “Board Certified” in Geriatrics.
INTERNAL AND GENERAL
MEDICINE / FAMILY
MEDICINE
According to the American College of Physicians,
understanding the differences between
these practices is, “…perhaps one of the most
confusing questions for many students (and
patients alike).” While the practices are generally
similar, they do share some fundamental
differences.
Internal Medicine:
Internal medicine typically focus only on adults.
These physicians train in mostly common
general medical conditions but also include
experience in each of the internal medicine
subspecialties - endocrinology, rheumatology,
and infectious diseases, and neurology. Internal
medicine doctors will also train in and/or gain
experience in such specialities as psychiatry,
dermatology, ophthalmology, office gynecology,
otorhinolaryngology, non-operative orthopedics,
palliative medicine, sleep medicine,
geriatrics, and rehabilitation medicine. While
internal medicine physicians will treat patients
over the age of 18, they do not always carry the
board designation of a geriatrician. Internal
medicine physicians can commonly be found
in large clinics and in private practice.
Family Medicine:
While internal medicine will focus primarily
on adults, family medicine will work through
the continuum of care from child to adult.
Family medicine physicians often train in
general medicine but are required to obtain
specialized training in an in-patient facility and
in emergency care. Family medicine education
is broader in nature than internal medicine
since it involves training in the care of children.
Family medicine physicians can often handle
a myriad of medical issues. Family medicine
physicians may commonly be found in clinics,
private practice, urgent and walk-in clinics, and
emergency rooms.
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throughout
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