Serving Our Seniors Magazine: Jan - Mar 2022

We all notice changes throughout our lives, from elementary school into our 50’s. We don’t assign much meaning to these changes as they seem more like transitions – not declines. In our 60’s, however, wrinkles, cataracts, flabby muscles, age spots, etc… have more relevance. We quietly second guess the meaning of an ache or a pain, feeling tired or forgetting where we laid our keys. This combined with polished medical advertisements, news reports, scams and navigating Medicare can raise additional doubts about our well- being at age 60+. There is another part of us who is fearful of what we might find out if we talk about the changes we notice in later life. Not knowing what’s really going on with our body can be more emotionally taxing than actually confronting our fears and finding the answer. Waiting can compound the issue to the point of being serious and irreversible. In November 2021 we each had a geriatric assessment, which the Cleveland Clinic refers to as a Successful Aging Visit. The doctor is a geriatrician. Geriatricians are specialists, trained to understand the meaning and significance of the changes that occur in later life. They also know the best methods Confronting Our Health Fears as Older People to diagnose and treat conditions in older aged individuals. As the Director of Serving Our Seniors, I am a passionate proponent of Consultative Geriatricians and Successful Aging Visits. On page 13, you can read about my 2 hour appointment at the Cleveland Clinic. I hope it inspires you, to face your aging fears and seek real answers to the changes you are noticing in your functional health during later life. If you are an Erie County resident, age 60+ and would like Serving Our Seniors to assist you in making arrangements for a Successful Aging Visit, call our office at 419-624-1856. We will facilitate setting up an appointment using 3-way calling. By Mark Norman and Sue Daugherty Sue Daugherty, 60 and Mark Norman, 70 Family Health Services has continued to combine innovative technology, ingenuity, and patient centered care to the residents of Erie County. The “Medic Kit” is another way for Family Health Services to make quality healthcare as accessible as possible - no transportation needed! By using a Medic Kit, a nurse comes to your home with portable equipment the size of a small suitcase. It allows the health care provider to see and talk with you on a monitor and evaluate you as they would for an in-office appointment. The Medic Kit uses top of the line technology to allow the provider to see a clear picture of the ear, nose, and throat, and treat you from the comfort of your own home. Every Family Health Services patient is eligible to receive a virtual doctor’s visit in your home! Call Family Health Services - 419-502-2800 - and speak with someone today! Family Health Services’ “Medic Kit”: The Doctor Can See You at Home Katie Myerholtz at the laptop Patient being examined 10