Are We Medically Over-Treating Seniors?

Take a peek into the calendars of many older adults, and you’re likely to find them inundated with scheduled doctors’ appointments, therapy sessions, reminders to refill and pick up medications, reminders to schedule MORE doctors’ appointments…you get the picture.

Many feel however, that our focus as a society has been far too often on medical interventions, and far too infrequently on the type of care needed to improve quality of life. With as many as 12 million Americans requiring assistance with activities of daily living, one of our goals as advocates for older adults is to help educate those in the medical realm on the benefits professional home care can provide.

According to Howard Gleckman, contributing writer for Forbes.com, “Rather than doing that third scan on the same body part, we could better spend our dollars on home delivered meals or an adult day program for an otherwise homebound senior.”

Better communications between doctors, seniors and their families is essential to ensure that quality of life is not being sacrificed in favor of aggressive medical procedures, but instead, that appropriate care is provided according to the patient’s wishes and goals. Read more of Gleckman’s perspective on seniors and medical treatment and contact us to learn more about our Fort Lauderdale elderly care and the communities we serve. See our website for our full service area.