Elderly Abuse
 

A simple question. As you have grown older have you noticed any real or subtle abuse in the medical fields in the Villages because of your age?. This would include Dentists, Doctors, etc.? If so what kind of less than good or respectable care are you talking about? I am not asking for the names of great doctors, or the great care you have been given. Rather any less than great care because you believe it was age related? Also, not asking for the Dentist, Physician.etc names, just the care you think was because of your age?:ohdear:

NO, just the opposite.

No. Just the opposite.

no we have absolutely not experienced any of that....just the opposite, as others have said

I will say that some of the office business practices have caused me to raise an eyebrow on occasion...but that has absolutely nothing to do with age

I have trained a few medical worker bees to not call me by any of the common terms of endearment, like "sweetie", "honey", etc.

Not because of age, so far. But what you may be getting at is the level of care shown to a patient nearing the end of life, which is less enthusiastic on the part of the doctors, I think. At least, I noticed that with my parents.

End of life care is much different than active many year to go care. There is less that a doctor can do which can improve the quality of life. And the elder body does not heal quickly at all, so the motto for a good doctor is to do no harm at all. . .

I suggest reading Dr Atul Gwande's book "On Being Mortal, What matters at the end" about how near the end of your life, its not about continuing to perform surgery after surgery, but to perform what is necessary to maintain lifestyle if possible.

The author is a surgeon in boston, works as high level management, and has proven masks work in the hospital setting, his hospital, real time, this year. His book was his quest, as a doctor, tyring to figure out how to answer every patients' question at some point, "Am I going to die?" And how to answer it effectively in the best interest of the patient, and why. And its personal, with real life examples, as well as how his father died as well, who was also a surgeon in the US.

So I encourage you to read that book, as a gateway to what to expect later in life, as the question you asked seems to indicate that your expectations might need to be re-examined, and maybe, adjusted slightly. Maybe not, i don't know from the post.

sportsguy

Not at all, have been receiving great care for years here.

Having been in the medical field as a career, and believing in preventative medicine, I have always obtained good, and regular, health care for me and my family. I did notice when we came to TV seven years ago and found a new physician, that the attitude towards my health care shifted a bit. We have a very good physician who is smart, caring, and is on top of issues right away. She works to see we are healthy as possible, and have a good quality of life for our remaining years. Curing a situation becomes a little less important and maintaining an active, comfortable lifestyle is more of the goal. That's not to say we don't tackle issues, but the emphasis isn't on curing the problem, or making big life changes, or tackling big medical procedures, unless it's what I wish to do. I've come to appreciate that style of healthcare.

No, not ever. Care is much more personalized than up north

Absolutely not.

Medical Care for Older Folks
 

This is what we have experienced. Some of the tests & exams that were routine when we were a little younger, are not encouraged because of our age. My feeling is that it is more of an insurance issue. We like our Dr & help we get at The Villages Healthcare.

Medical overbooking
 

My one complaint, and this happened with two physicians' offices, was overbooking of appointments, causing excess waiting time when I arrived for an appointment. After waiting over an hour at a dermatologist's office, I rescheduled my appointment for a later date, at 7:45 am. That didn't work either -- my name wasn't called until almost 9. I never went back. I also had a series of appointments at a specialty clinic at which I was made to sit 45 minutes or so in the waiting room, then another 30 minutes in the exam room. At one, the M.D. said "Oh, it sometimes gets busy on Friday afternoons." Okay. But when I went to schedule a followup, I spotted a note pinned to the partition next to the scheduler's desk: "Please do not overbook Dr. X during the week of ___, because he is on call at the hospital then." In other words, "Go ahead and overbook all the other doctors." At the next appointment I told my doctor I would not be returning and why: "I may be retired, but my time is valuable, too,"

Nope, if anything it has been the opposite.

I did not notice this at end of life care for my husband. As he was deteriorating during his last 6 months our doctors became more caring, spent more time with him and me preparing us for what was to come. They treated us both with so much compassion and caring taking their own time, not billed to anyone, to stop by and check on us and both sent beautiful cards after his death and called me a few weeks later to see if I needed anything and if I was taking care of myself. They were amazingly human. They are still my doctors and always will be.

We have 6 specialists that we see yearly or as need, and all have been WONDERFUL. We have also had 10 surgeries in the 20 years we have lived in the Villages, and again, they were awesome. We feel blessed to receive the care we have been given.

I noticed a great difference between up north and down here and it wasn’t for the better. The first dr I went to walked into met me with the words you are morbidly obese- not hello , how are you , my name is. When I told him, I had lost 40 lbs, it wasn’t well keep up the good work- instead it was you have a hellava lot more to lose. Next he went on to you have too many drs. When I explained I had none down here and everyone specialized up north, I was told Well you don’t need any more. He also told me I had toon many operations. When I explained I was an athlete and had severe arthritis, his answer was YOU were an athlete. The last thing he did was talk about the patient in the next room to me telling me what a big complainer he was - I left and never went back. I should have reported him. Next dr. I was stuck with the PA all the time. I had an severe asthma attack and needed meds and couldn’t get an appt for 3 weeks. I ended up in the walk-in more than seeing the dr and only saw him for well visits. My next dr was down in Clermont . He was a family physician and tried the let’s get her in and out in 10 min routine. I put a stop to that when I asked doesn’t he care about his patients. From that point on, I found him to be very good. However, he left the practice and now I am stuck again with a Nurse practitioner. So I am now searching for a new physician here in TV again. I don’t know whether any of this happened because of my age but I know when I was younger they would not have gotten away with any of this up north.

Ohiobuckeye
 

My Family Dr. I thought was GREAT, if anything I thought he went a little overboard to keep me healthy. My heart Dr. on the other hand was very good except one time he wanted to put a tiny little cup at one of my bypasses to catch the cholesterol that might get into my heart. When I asked him why, he said that’s what he does. Then every few yrs. I would of had to get a new one put in until that one plugged up. I told him no & he said to make sure I took my pills as scheduled, I’ve had no issues what so ever & that was 6 yrs. ago. He said his dad died that had this procedure & his mom declined to have it done & she’s still alive. I’m guessing this was at least10 to 12 yrs. ago. Hope this helps answer your question. It probably depends what Dr. you have.

That really sucks. Unfortunately, there are doctors like that up north as well, not ALL of them are in Florida.

I have never experienced less that perfect and professional care by health providers in The Villages. On the other hand, I have been part of several conversations with those who have been here longer and have greater healthcare needs who state they have had quality care issues at some hospitals. One went in for a routine procedure and became infected in the hospital which probably happens from time to time but they were unable to remedy the situation after several weeks. This particular person went back to his previous Dr. and hospital in the midwest and the problem was cleared up almost immediately. Original diagnostics at a Villages area hospital turned out to be incorrect with the wrong treatment. I understand many people with more serious issues return to their home towns where they feel they received superior care for their ailments.

I have had two experiences. With my Family Doc, I came in the first time and was able to discuss my medical history and my family history from memory. We had a great discussion over the next 30 minutes. Over the last 5 years, I have seen him on an annual basis and have continued the great relationship.

On the flip side, I went to a dental practice and over the course of two visits, I decided to change practices. They were more interested in selling their "insurance policy" than in engaging in a discussion about my teeth. The dental hygienist was examining my gums and calling off numbers. When she finished, she declared that I had three 5s and four 4s which meant I needed extra services. Having been in science my entire life, I am very good with numbers that have been called out and remembering them for future discussions. The numbers they claimed at the end did not match my memory. Don't have a problem with a recommended treatment, just don't lie to make your case. After that, I found a different dentist with whom I am very happy.

I was able to finally find a dentist that did not try to upsell and then put braces on me. I had to leave the bubble to do it. However, as for my primary physician, we really lucked out there and found one that listens and explains without looking at his watch

The hygienist was measuring you gingival pocket depth. Depths of 4-5 mm are borderline indicators of swollen gums or loss of bone. Sounds like they were being thorough. You could’ve deferred extra treatment and asked for a re-evaluation in 6-12 months to see if the pocket depths were stable or increased. I think you might’ve missed out on a good dentist and opted for one who said what you wanted to hear.

No.

Abuse
 

Yes. Had a great doctor at one of The Villages facilities who was fired because he questioned the practices in the office. Seems the office was treating patients in less than ethical ways and he questioned it and was fired. When I tried to get answers, I was shut down, so I left the facility and found a better doctor outside The Villages strong hold.

Therapy fee
 

no matter what people you interact with some will be rude and less respectfull than others. Can you honestly say that you have never encountered a rude villager before?
We are very vulnerable to feelings of heightened anxiety, especially at our ages, because after all our lives are in the hands of the medical profession here.
There are many ways to find inner peace. A renowned person once said, " seek and yee shall find" amongst hundreds of other sage sayings
buena suerte
session over

I read that book and it's a great read. It actually was recommended by my daughter and glad I read it as it touches on the aging process. He is a surgeon at Brigham & Women's hospital in Boston. Highly recommend reading this book.

I think it’s a southern thing to say sweetie, etc.

I find the doctors and professional staff to be pretty good. Some of the reception and check-out folks are good, and some not. I don't think it's elder abuse as much as many young people do not have people skills. Technology changed a lot of that.

Which office? I am sure people would like to know. I heard of a doctor who would move from place to place and was jailed for failing to pay child support but he wasn't part of The Villages Health Care. Also I heard of a doctor who moved here and had difficulties in her old State for a problem with drug addiction. She was stopped here and was found to have a lot of pills lose on the back seat. She also was not in any way affiliated with The Villages Health Care. I find they are quite diligent in finding excellent and responsible physicians. I highly recommend Dr. Rizzi.

People have a hard time distinguishing between Health care and doctors who practice in The Villages and the large group of doctors practicing under The Villages Health Care. There are many good doctors here and some not so great. I am very glad we chose The Villages Health Care.

Just the opposite

I can say I have received different treatment than I would have received in my 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and even 50’s. Just little things like if you were in your ....‘s we would probably do this, or after ....age you really don’t need to have this procedure/test any longer. Then there is always, well, it’s just an age related issue. I could scream, I’m still alive and would like to remain that way for quite some time!

I think the medical care in TV is awful. I’ve had a lot of experience with the hospitals and doctors. I changed primaries because every time I went in it was like I was a new patient. I changed pain docs because my pain doc wax the most insensitive person I’ve ever met. I feel seeing a doctor here is almost detrimental to your health. It seems all they r is pill dispensaries. Always prescribing another med without ever explaining the side affects. Beware of just taking another med just because your doc prescribed it. The result could be more problems then u currently have. I wouldn’t go to the villages regional or Leesburg hospital if I was dieing. In my husbands last years both hospitals gave him more deadly infections then I’ve ever heard or experience. Our medical care here doesn’t just need an improvement it needs a whole overhaul!

It would be great if you expecifie the reason for your question. I don't like this subtle questions which can be used for other purposes other than to find a good service provider.

No, not with medical people at all, in fact just the opposite. I find condescending attitudes from SOME posters on this forum who are younger.

wow, you better head back up north.

TV hospital system is poor overall dropping from three star to one star over a two year period in Medicare evaluations. And they give the proper treatment for sepsis in only about 20% of the cases. But there are still some good doctors who practice there.

To answer the question we have not seen elderly abuse regarding medical treatment.

I guess you were not raised in the South like we were.

A few days ago a worker at the deli section at Publix called me "Honey" when she gave me the food I asked for and I responded, "Thank you, Honey". She thought it was really funny and smiled.

It is great to be back in Florida where I was raised.

I think the poster was saying that the numbers called out during the exam were then inflated when repeated while indicating a need for further procedure.