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Greenwood Leflore Hospital's Senior Health Center:
Helping Delta Seniors make the most of life
by Cindy Coopwood
The largest growing segment of our nation's population is age 65 and above. This group
would include Paul Newman and Sean Connery. Robert Redford is not far off himself. That
makes the prospect of growing old a little more interesting, doesn't it? The United States
government defines this age group as geriatric..... not a very sexy word when applied to
the aforementioned members. Maybe that explains a few things, in light of the current
obsession with sex and youth in our nation's capitol. There seems to be a sort of
nihilistic attitude toward the elderly that is hard to explain. Dr. John P. Hey, Medical
Director of the Greenwood Leflore Hospital's Senior Health Center understands the
situation well. He sees it everyday.
The government has spent billions and billions of dollars over the years on medical
research to help increase life expectancy, which has now risen to at least 85 years of
age. So why are they making such drastic cuts in Medicare, that the available
reimbursements don't even begin to cover the cost of quality care for this group?
According to Dr. Hey, this essentially creates a huge disincentive for doctors to treat
the elderly. We should be proud that there are there are more seniors than ever expected
to live longer than ever. Yet somehow, Medicare has seen fit to make cuts that make it
almost impossible to cover the costs of patient care for this age group putting them and
their families in a perilous situation, both financially and medically. This is a huge
problem that our whole nation faces.
Fortunately for Deltans there is help available to address this problem. The Senior Health
Center is devoted specifically to meeting the special healthcare needs of the elderly. It
was the first to open in the state and one of the first in the South. Under the direction
of Dr. Hey, a delta native, about 1300 patients have been treated at the Senior Health
Center since 1992. Dr. Hey says, "It's been such satisfying work for me. I've treated
80 year-old men who think they're on the way out, and they come back six months later with
their new brides. That is truly fulfilling."
Dr. Hey realized how badly a Senior Health Center was needed in the Delta long ago.
"As a family practitioner I had really practiced geriatrics for years, because that
is where my interest was. In fact, 90 percent of my practice was geriatrics." When
asked how he became so interested in geriatrics, Hey explained, "I think I was born
in the wrong era. I miss World War II and I love Big Band music. And I've always loved
talking to older people. It's natural for me." So when the American Academy of Family
Practice and the American Internal Medicine Boards decided jointly that they would offer
board certification in geriatrics in the late eighties Dr. Hey got his certification and
led the charge to have a center established.
The Center focuses on many complex problems that elderly people have.
It's purpose is to help the elderly maintain good health and, as a result, a higher
level of independence. Toward this goal the center provides services such as outpatient
geriatric care and a full range of diagnostic services. The Center specializes in
formulating a care plan for patients with problems relating to diabetes, arthritis, heart
disease and hypertension, and many other ailments common to the elderly. Also patient and
family education is provided as well as insurance and Medicare counseling. According to
Dr. Hey, they use a team approach that involves doctors, social workers, dietitians and
pharmacists."For example, we may have a patient who has Alzheimer's, who is not doing
well. But through our total diagnostic approach we come to find that she also has a kidney
infection or poor diet. Once these other medical problems are corrected, the patient
improves dramatically. It is imperative that you really look at the whole person and take
a detailed history."
Patients must be referred by their doctors for an appointment at the Center. First a
half-day comprehensive evaluation is done, including mental tests, hearing, eyesight,
dementia and sleep disorders and anything else that is needed. The team looks over all the
results, makes recommendations for any further testing that may need to be done and then a
conference is held with the patient and their family. "This is when we really discuss
with the family what was found and what the options are. It is amazing what we find
sometimes. Often a patient is brought in because they think there is a certain problem,
such as Alzheimer's, or forgetfulness, or diabetes, and it turns out to be something
totally different. Sometimes it's the medication they are taking. It's interesting to
watch the whole puzzle fit together," says Dr. Hey. After the conference, a detailed
copy of all the reports are sent back to their referring doctor.
The problem now is that there are only about 7,000 doctors who have this certification,
which requires an extra year of post-graduate training, and the number is dwindling. Dr.
Hey explains, "Unfortunately the government is really pounding us and giving no
incentive to treat old people so you have to really fight to give them what they need. You
can treat young people and babies or anyone else and enjoy it and do better than if you've
got a patient who comes in with 70 or 80 years of history. Nobody wants to fool with it.
There is a nihilism in doctors, patients and families .... they just kind of give up on
old folks. But we always say 'Don't give up, everybody can be improved.' "
"If we don't do good quality geriatrics, we can pay now or pay later. If the elderly
are not given good care, they are more likely to wind up disabled or in and out of the
hospital every two weeks, or in nursing homes. Our goal is to have people up and about and
enjoying a productive life. Mississippi has a huge nursing home population, and we are
trying to get away from that. The notion that everyone gets old and disabled is not
normal, what's normal is to live out a healthy and happy life, and that's what we're are
fighting to help people do," Hey emphasizes.
For more information about the Senior Health Center at Greenwood Leflore Hospital call
601- 459-7043.
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