Doctor evaluating a geriatric patient's balance.

Geriatric Care

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Did you know your body changes in many ways as you get older? Some changes are easy to notice. Others are subtle.

Maybe you don’t feel as thirsty as you used to. Or you exercise regularly but seem to be losing muscle tone and strength. These changes may worry you, but they’re natural. And they can last well into your 80s or 90s. Paying attention to your body early on can be the first step to staying vibrant and active.

Cleveland Clinic’s geriatric care providers understand how changes in your body can affect your life. And we can help you manage them. We’ll work with you to design a personalized healthy aging plan so you can continue to thrive.

Why Choose Cleveland Clinic for Geriatric Care?

Patient-centered care:

Cleveland Clinic’s geriatric care focuses on the 5Ms of care. Four of them — Mentation (dementia, depression, delirium), Mobility (falls and bone health), Medications and what Matters most are from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and Age Friendly Health Systems (AFHS). Multimorbidity (multiple chronic conditions, like age-related hearing loss and macular degeneration) is Cleveland Clinic’s own addition to the list. We’re here to help you stay active, healthy and thriving.

Collaborative care:

Your primary care provider (PCP) works with us to coordinate your care. We do testing and offer support, resources and preventive “whole person” care aimed at improving your quality of life. This collaborative care may include caregiver support programs and geriatric oncology providers. You can rest easy knowing you have an experienced, compassionate team on your side. Meet our team.

Recognized expertise:

Cleveland Clinic is considered an Age-Friendly Health System by The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Most of our emergency departments in Northeast Ohio are accredited for geriatric care by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) — and our Main Campus emergency department received the highest accreditation.

Caring approach:

Our specialized geriatric providers make sure our care aligns with what matters to you. We build a plan to help prevent, identify and treat many age-related conditions. And we make sure your treatment plan — from medication to exercise — helps you live independently with a good quality of life for as long as possible.

Virtual visits:

We want to make getting the care you need as easy as possible for you. That’s why we offer some appointments as virtual visits. You’ll get the same great care, but from the comfort and convenience of home.

National recognition:

Cleveland Clinic is a trusted healthcare leader. We’re recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for our expertise and care.

Having a Geriatric Care Evaluation at Cleveland Clinic

Body changes are natural as you age. From your 50s through at least your 80s — even to 100 and older — you may start to lose muscle mass, react differently to medications and feel off balance sometimes. But there are other changes that may happen, too. Our geriatric care providers know how to recognize even the subtlest shifts.

What to expect during your evaluation

A geriatric care evaluation is the first step in keeping an eye on your health as you get older. These evaluations can help you and your healthcare providers benchmark changes that have started and spot new ones that appear down the road. The results help our team build a personalized care plan focusing on preventive health and maintenance — and ways to keep you moving and thriving.

The typical evaluation takes about an hour and a half. Your provider will ask questions about your health history, any changes you may have noticed and what you hope to get out of your care plan. They’ll also do tests like:

We’ll talk about medications you take and what you may need in the future. All of this paves the way for following a regular, individualized care plan with our team.

Meet Our Geriatric Care Team

Your geriatrician will lead your care team, which may include other skilled providers depending on your needs. This might mean meeting with physician assistants, nurse practitioners and geriatric pharmacists. Or maybe you’ll work with occupational therapists, physical therapists, cardiologists or oncologists.

Other experts on your team may include:

Providers Who Offer Geriatric Care

Locations

Our healthcare providers see geriatric patients at convenient locations throughout Northeast Ohio.

Getting Regular Geriatric Care at Cleveland Clinic

Research shows keeping up with regular checkups may contribute to better overall well-being. These visits can also help our team catch and treat any new health conditions quickly. We want to be sure your care meets your health and lifestyle goals, so these appointments focus on what matters most to you.

What to expect at your geriatric care appointment

Your new patient geriatric care visits at Cleveland Clinic typically last about 90 minutes. During that time, your provider will talk with you about how you’re feeling and if you’re having any problems. They’ll go over the medications you’re taking. And they’ll make sure you get any of your vaccines you might need, including flu, pneumonia and COVID-19.

We may also talk about “deprescribing.” This means reducing the number of medications you’re taking or stopping medications that may be potentially harmful or not right for your age. You provider may take a simple saliva sample from inside your mouth, which can help determine which medications are right for you. This analysis is guided by pharmacogenomics, a field of medicine that investigates how your genetic makeup may affect how your body processes certain medications.

You and your provider may also talk about what you eat and drink and how often you exercise. And these appointments are a great time to ask about tips for staying active, keeping your bones healthy and staying safe at home.

Our team will also do the same tests every time you have a new evaluation. This helps us see if anything has changed. If we notice any health conditions that may require specialized care, we’ll refer you to the right providers to meet your needs.

Taking the Next Step

Whether you’re making your first geriatric care appointment or have been seeing our team for years, we’re with you every step of the way. It’s your healthcare journey. That’s why we always focus on what matters most to you. At Cleveland Clinic, your life and health goals are important to us. We want you to stay healthy, active and thriving. No matter your age or stage of life.