Stories from Real Life on the FHA Website

Anne, age 76, has a history of bipolar disorder and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 11 years ago. Soon after her diagnosis, she moved to an assisted living facility in Maryland. Once there, she began seeing a geriatrician in addition to her primary care physician. “I take a lot of medications,” says Anne, who asked that her last name not be used. “She (the geriatrician) always asks me about any side effects I might have from medications. When I started seeing her, she and the doctor I see here cut back on some of the medications because I didn’t need them. Since then, they’ve increased my Parkinson’s medication as I’ve needed it, and this has worked out well.” “If you’re an older adult,” adds Anne, “I certainly would recommend practitioners with expertise in working with older people.”

Anne’s story is one of several posted on the American Geriatrics Society Foundation for Health in Aging’s (FHA) “Stories” site. On the site, which launched last March, older adults who have benefited from geriatrics care and their caregivers recount their experiences with this care. The site also features contributions from geriatrics healthcare professionals who explain what makes geriatrics care unique, and describe the difference it can make in the lives of older people. The stories on the site can help other older adults and their caregivers determine whether they, too, might benefit from geriatrics care. In addition, the FHA shares stories on the site with the media and policymakers to illustrate the value of geriatrics care. The anecdotes on the site are testimony to the invaluable contributions that geriatrics professionals make to the health and well-being of older people—and the importance of policies that support geriatrics care.

Not all older adults need to be under the care of geriatrics specialists. But those with multiple chronic conditions, like Anne, can benefit significantly. As you know, many long-term care patients have multiple chronic health problems. Roughly 20% of Medicare beneficiaries have five or more chronic conditions, and these beneficiaries alone account for 70% of Medicare spending. That’s a compelling statistic. It’s the kind of statistic that can get the attention of the media and legislators and shape public opinion and public health policy. But anecdotes from real people can be just as compelling, if not more. Why? Because people can relate to personal anecdotes in a way that they simply can’t relate to statistics.

Anecdotes make real people’s problems real—and pressing. We hear this nearly every day from journalists who call the American Geriatrics Society’s communications team: “We need real people’s stories to make this issue come to life,” and, “I’m looking for anecdotes about older people who need this kind of care. Can you help?” are typical requests from the reporters who contact us. Anne’s story, and others like it, resonate. Consider Cecil’s story, also on the FHA site. A 93-year-old living in Washington state, Cecil developed gangrene in both legs and feet after a serious fall. Amputation seemed likely, until a geriatrician who made house calls began seeing Cecil. “[She] went to work on me as though I was His majesty, the King of wherever, and she prescribed this and examined that,” he writes. “Not being a medical person, I can’t describe all she did for me…But bit by bit, the gangrene diminished, then disappeared. I’m so grateful for her attentiveness and I hope the government, both state and federal, choose to support the field of geriatrics.”

Complementing these stories, submissions from geriatrics professionals themselves help clarify exactly what geriatrics is all about: “I have learned that one must keep an open mind, open heart, and listen, listen, listen to what your patients are saying, and look at what they are doing,” writes Georgia P. Ameia, a geriatric nurse practitioner in Massachusetts. Ameia recounts the very late night she and the security guard at a nearby retirement community spent helping a 96-year-old woman with multi-infarct dementia. The woman, accomplished and charming but losing ground to delusions and other symptoms of the disease, refused to sleep in her bed, arguing that she’d seen mice in her room. “It was becoming clear that there would soon become a need for a different environment to support her needs and cognitive decline, yet she still had moments of lucidity,” Ameia writes. So, in addition to calling her patient’s primary care physician and suggesting lab work to check for causes of delirium, such as UTIs and anemia, she, with the help of her dog (brought along to soothe the patient, who loved dogs) and the security guard, checked for mice.

As it turned out there were two. Stories like these from patients and professionals are the kind of stories we in the field need to share with older adults, their caregivers, opinion makers in the media, and policymakers. They illustrate both the need for and unique value of geriatrics care. They make a lasting impression.

Share Your Stories

Submitting a story to the Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) “Stories” site at https://www.healthinaging.org can help the American Geriatrics Society and the FHA help the public and public policymakers understand the value and importance of geriatrics care. It’s easy: Simply visit the site, fill out a short form, type in your story, and hit “Send.” If you’re really pressed for time, AGS staff will help you—and your patients—share your stories. We’re happy to interview providers and patients via phone, write drafts, and revise them in keeping with your or your patient’s wishes. Contributors can choose to be identified by first name only, so privacy is respected. Please visit the site and help us raise awareness of the benefits of geriatrics care with policymakers, voters, caregivers and, of course, older patients and their caregivers.