Who Needs A Provider Who Has Training and Education in Gerontology?
Every older adult needs a provider who has some education and training in gerontology or who have access in person, by phone, or via electronic communication to a elder care specialist. Today older people continue to turn to primary care physicians for assistance with their concerns and problems. However, cost pressures and the growth of managed care limit the time physicians can spend with patients. As physicians encounter more and more older patients, they often question just how far the scope of their medical practice extends into the broader social, economic, and environmental problems of their patients. It is too easy for physicians to limit their attention to monthly 15-minute office visits that are focused on medications to relieve symptoms. Addressing the dual goals of every health care worker’s having some education in gerontology and every provider’s having access to gerontology experts can be achieved by getting more health care providers to employ, contract with or have mak
