Older Adult Health

These visits give you, your nurse, and primary care provider an opportunity to discuss your healthcare goals, complete many important assessments (like hearing, vision, and memory), plan for preventive screenings (like mammograms or colonoscopies), review immunizations, medications, and advance care plans.

RVH encourages all eligible patients to schedule an annual MWV to support their health and prevent future illness.

Your primary care provider will review your current medications at each appointment to help you understand why you take each medicine, address any concerns about side effects, and discuss alternatives to high-risk medications. It is important for you to bring a complete list of your medications, including over-the-counter medications and supplements, to each appointment. This is especially useful if you see healthcare providers who are not part of the RVH system. Your providers will also talk with you about substance use.

This is offered at 18 RVH health centers to patients with Medicare insurance. In this program, RVH pharmacists speak with patients by phone for a complete review of medications, including over-the-counter medicines, and supplements. If the pharmacist identifies concerns about your medications, such as negative side-effects or risk, the pharmacist will collaborate with your RVH primary care provider. The average length of an MTM telephone appointment is 20 minutes. After the appointment, participating patients receive an updated, written medication list in the mail.

RVH providers recognize that many factors influence mood, thinking, and memory. Therefore, your primary care and behavioral health providers screen for depression, anxiety, and suicide risk at least once a year. Although dementia is not a normal part of aging, the risk for dementia does increase with age. RVH providers will screen for cognitive or memory impairment during your annual Medicare Wellness Visit (MWV) or in response to other changes in your health.

Movement is related to mood, thinking, and doing what matters. Therefore, RVH providers will ask, at least once a year, about any falls you have had and talk with you about a mobility plan. The plan will include ways to prevent future falls. If you have fallen or are worried about falling, a referral to physical therapy or A Matter of Balance class may be helpful.

This is an award-winning program that helps patients manage worries about falls and improve their ability to be active and mobile. The eight-week program will be offered periodically at RVH based on referrals. Patients, including those age 65 or older, who are concerned about falling, have fallen in the past year, limited their activities because of worry about falling, and are interested in improving balance, flexibility, and strength are encouraged to speak with their RVH provider and request a referral.