Retirement Communities Adding On-Site Clinics to Improve Seniors' Health

According to experts, more on-site clinics are being opened in senior-living communities across the United States through alliances like the one between Friendship Village of Dublin, Ohio, and Central Ohio Primary Care, reports The Columbus Dispatch . "The idea of having primary care embedded where people live makes a whole lot of sense for older adults," notes University of Michigan Professor Julie Bynum. She adds that this can lead to fewer hospitalizations, and fewer emergency department and specialty physician visits. It also can reduce the overall number of doctors that seniors see. Harvard Medical School professor Brent Forester says an enhanced doctor-beneficiary relationship also can promote better care around memory-loss issues or underlying conditions. He notes the manner in which primary care is delivered at senior-living communities varies, but communities are starting to understand that closer relationships with doctors result in better care outcomes.