21 Oct What Are The Benefits Of A House Call Doctor For The Elderly?

A concierge doctor is a medical professional who comes to their patients’ homes and treats them there rather than in a hospital. One of the biggest populations that can benefit from these doctors is the elderly. A house call doctor for the elderly is an excellent option for many reasons. We’re going to take a look at five of them in this article.

Five benefits of a house call doctor for the elderly

1. Convenience

The convenience factor cannot be overstated when it comes to house call doctors whether the patient is young or old. One of the biggest reasons senior citizens don’t pursue medical treatment and regular checkups is that they simply can’t make it to the doctor.

With old age comes a decline in motor skills, cognitive abilities, and reflexes. All of these are essential to driving a car, which is the only way that many people can get to a doctor. The fact that a house call doctor comes to your home takes transportation out of the equation and makes treatment a possibility.

2. Simplifying routine care

For advanced and improved care, regular visits should be performed by a house doctor. The older you get, the easier it is for your body to decline, making regular visits a must.

Routine services like blood work, lab tests, X-rays, ultrasounds, and forms of IV therapy can be performed by a concierge doctor without the need to visit a specialist. Concierge doctors can also perform vaccines, flu shots, and Covid testing, making it easy for the elderly to get the preventive care they need.

3. Autonomy

In-home appointments are valuable for the patient’s autonomy. Instead of burdening friends or family with taking them to appointments, the patient can make their own appointments on their time and schedule.

Another big factor that can keep the elderly from visiting the doctor is the concern about being seen. Pride is very real in human nature, and some people don’t like to admit that they’re getting older and need medical attention. A concierge doctor removes this factor and ensures that the appointment is as discreet as possible.

4. Longer appointments

When a patient goes to the hospital or the doctor’s office, there are metrics to meet and a tight schedule that has to be maintained. This means that patients may not get more than 10 minutes with their physician before their appointment is over.

A concierge doctor can take as much time as needed to provide proper treatment to their patients. This means that patients can expect treatment plans that will address their needs more comprehensively, which in turn makes for better health outcomes.

5. Telemedicine

Medical advice and treatment are now available on the computer, but many elderly patients don’t want to wade through the internet for confusing – or even conflicting – advice about their medication or condition.

Telemedicine is where a doctor provides medical advice by talking to their patients via Zoom, Skype, or phone. This form of medicine is great for checking in with patients, offering hands-off advice, and answering questions between appointments.

The benefits of medical concierge services for the elderly

The main benefit of medical services that can be performed in-home is the convenience and ease of access. You don’t have to travel far from your home, and instead, a medical professional will come to you. Having in-home services will also minimize your exposure to Covid-19 or other illnesses because you are not exposed to public places or other people who are potentially sick.

Medical concierge services will work with your schedule and will come to your house for the appointment. There is no need to work around the doctor or clinic hours when trying to book an appointment because, with this option, you are in control.

What services can you get at home?

One of the good things that the pandemic has brought about is the different options to get their medical appointments done. Instead of being in the medical office, some concierge medical providers offer in-home services.

House calls

Concierge doctors can see you in the comfort of your own home, which minimizes your contact with Covid-19. House calls can take the form of urgent or primary care house calls.

• Urgent care house calls can address numerous medical conditions that you might be experiencing, such as cold, flu, infections, headaches, allergies, and digestive problems.
• Primary care house calls are concerned with medical conditions that are not urgent. This includes medication management, counseling, and non-urgent physical exams. You can choose this option for prescription refills, annual physical examinations, and medication management.

Some concierge doctors also offer telemedicine services for questions and care outside of scheduled appointments. This is especially valuable for individuals juggling multiple medications.

Flu and vaccine shots

The annual flu shot and different vaccine shots can combat common illnesses. These shots will give your immune system the boost needed to fight against infections. Flu shots can reduce the risk of hospitalization and will help reduce the spread of the flu virus.

Other vaccine shots that you can get are yellow fever, typhoid fever, Hepatitis A and B, meningitis, pneumonia, shingles, and TDAP.

Flu and other vaccine shots only take a few minutes to administer, but mobility or transportation issues can turn a few minutes into a much longer ordeal. In-home flu and vaccine shots are ideal for people with mobility considerations.

IVs and other therapies

In-home IV treatments and other therapies are also available, like vitamin IVs, peptide therapy, and testosterone therapy. IV treatments can be used for rehydration, energy boosts, immune system support, and general health and wellness.

Lab tests and diagnostics

Concierge medical services available in-home can also provide a broad collection of comprehensive lab tests, which include genetic, food, allergy, and hormone testing. The process is simple: a licensed nurse will come to your location and perform lab draws, send them to a lab for processing, and review your results with you.

Select diagnostics can also be performed at home, such as X-rays, Ultrasounds, EKGs, and Echocardiograms. These simplify the need to go to a clinic or risk exposure to Covid in a waiting room.

Covid-19 testing and treatment

Testing for Covid-19 is imperative if you are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to somebody who tested positive. There are several in-home tests you can choose from.

• A rapid antigen test will give you results in as few as 15 minutes.
• The standard RT-PCR test is more accurate and returns results within 3 business days.
• The rapid PCR Test has similar accuracy to the standard PCR test but can return results in 30 minutes.

You can also get treated for Covid at home. Concierge MD provides monoclonal antibody IV Therapy, a new therapy which may help reduce the amount of Covid-19 virus in your system. This treatment may help reduce the severity of symptoms and help you avoid hospitalization.