None of us enjoy going to the doctor. However, as we age, there are more and more distinct types of doctors we should be seeing if we want to remain healthy and active for as long as possible. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
General Practitioner
A general practitioner is the one that will be your primary doctor. You should have had one long before your retirement. They’re the ones you see for your physical. They keep your charts up to date and diagnose common health issues such as the flu, colds, and diabetes.
They’re also responsible for administering medications through intramuscular or intravenous injections, orally or topically. If they come across an issue that needs to be delved into further, they’ll recommend tests or a specialist.
Dentist
A dentist does quite a few important tasks when it comes to helping you maintain your oral health. Dentists are all over the country too. If you find yourself in Illinois, check out a dentist in Olympia Fields, IL If you’re in California, find one in Los Angeles.
They aren’t difficult to find. Checkups are a massive part of a dentist’s job and are critical for anyone who wants to remain on top of their oral health. On top of that, dentistry involves general treatments, such as x-rays and fillings.
Cardiologist
Some people refer to these doctors as ‘heart doctors.’ That’s because a cardiologist specializes in the heart and cardiovascular system. As we age, these things can become a bit more fragile and tend to need more care. That’s where the cardiologist comes in.
They find, treat, and prevent diseases that affect the veins, arteries, and heart. Among other things, they diagnose and treat issues like diseases, injuries, and blockages, and remain watchful for things like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Rheumatologist
A rheumatologist is a doctor who’s had special training in those diseases that can affect your bones, muscles, and joints, including those that are known as rheumatic diseases or autoimmune conditions. A rheumatologist, in short, is the doctor you’ll see when your arthritis flares up.
Some people are lucky and aren’t bothered too much by this crippling condition, others can suffer from it from birth or early childhood. Either way, as you age, the tissue between and around your joints can break down and this leads to your bones rubbing together. It can be quite painful. This is why you need to have a rheumatologist on your team of medical professionals.
Ophthalmologist
These are medical doctors that are able to diagnose and then treat vision conditions that affect people of all ages. This includes things like AMD or Age-Related Macular Degeneration. This condition makes you lose that sharp, central vision that you need for recognizing faces, reading, and driving.
It’s a large cause of blindness and visual impairment for people over the age of 65. This type of doctor also treats cataracts, which make the lens of the eye cloudy, and glaucoma too.
Finding the ideal specialists to include on your team of doctors as you age, to take care of you and ensure that you have the right care at the right times is only a portion of the challenge. Because the doctor-patient relationships these days tend to be increasingly collaborative, it’s really important to find doctors who listen to you and take your concerns and feelings into consideration. This isn’t always easy to do, but when you find them, it can make all the difference in the world.