The Right Doctor at the Right Time: Geriatricians Focus on Healthy Aging for Older Adults

Geriatricians can be a crucial resource in helping older adults navigate aging, reports SCNow . The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) aims to make more geriatricians available by rolling out a new geriatric fellowship program. MUSC's Mark Newbrough said specialists trained through this fellowship will likely remain in South Carolina. The fellowship also will enable the development of further programs and training of other healthcare professionals in addition to doctors. MUSC also offers geriatric training for family and internal medicine residents. MUSC's Amanda Overstreet supervises internal medicine residents, who complete one-month rotations with her and those she looks after in an outpatient setting, along with the neurology, memory, and movement disorders clinics and the Community Living Center at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Center and on the hospital consult service. In terms of hospitalizations, older adults are more at risk of certain complications like delirium, and Newbrough provides a geriatric consultation for surgeons and other doctors to help manage care. He added that as reimbursement models change, it is sensible for healthcare institutions to develop their geriatric workforce to deliver holistic care for older adults.