In our dreams, we all want to be petunias –- live beautiful, rich lives and then one night, in our twilight years, close up and fade away quietly. The reality is, aging is a complex process. As we age, health care needs change, requirement of medical assistance may increase, and it can be a challenging time for families and older adults to navigate. But it doesn’t have to be.
Aging is a process we can all prepare for. Riverside Health System on the Middle Peninsula features a complete array of medical services and providers to help older adults age in a manner and place of those choosing, including:
FAMILY DOCTORS
Having a Primary Care Provider can help people live longer and enjoy better health at all ages. Family doctors and nurse practitioners perform annual wellness exams, to truly get to know their patients, which may help identify problems early and help people avoid unnecessary emergency department visits, hospitalizations and surgeries. Primary Care Providers also have access to a network of specialists and can help ensure coordination of care across different practices when one of those specialists may be needed. To find a Riverside Primary Care Provider and to make an appointment online, visit riversideonline.com/schedule.
NETWORK OF SPECIALISTS
Sometimes specialty care is needed to deal with health concerns identified by your Primary Care Provider. Riverside provides a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services and access to specialists. Outpatient services include blood draws, screenings, imaging services like mammography, ultrasound, CT, X-ray, MRI, PET and other imaging services.
Specialist services include cancer services (radiation and medical oncology), cardiology, gastroenterology, general surgery (including colon, hernia, gallbladder, GERD, GI and vascular), nephrology, neurology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology (ENT), pain management, physiatry, therapies (physical, occupational, speech, hand and nutrition), urology, vascular and women’s health.
BUILDING BALANCE
Statistics show that as age goes up, the ability to remain balanced and steady on our feet declines. For older adults who want to remain living independently, actively and maintaining all of the activities that help define them, losing balance can lead to falls, which can lead to bruising, fractures, brain damage, and other complications, ultimately decreasing the ability to live that active and independent life. But there’s a way to combat that. A way to prevent falls. A way to build balance.
Building Balance is a specialized healthy aging exercise program for adults with a history of stability issues or concerns about falling. Taught by an exercise specialist from the Riverside Clinical Wellness Team and approved by Riverside physicians and therapists, Building Balance improves muscular stability through exercise and resistance strength training.
This program is free for Riverside Wellness and Fitness Center members and offered in Gloucester, Newport News and Williamsburg. Not a member? Try out the class for a small one-time fee or buy a 10-class pass. Learn more at riversideonline.com/rwfc.
RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES
“As I age, I will control my age in the place of my choosing,” has remained the cornerstone vision of Riverside’s Lifelong Health Services. On the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck, Riverside features Sanders Retirement Community along Gloucester’s Main Street, a continuing care retirement community with independent living cottages, assisted living, long-term care and rehabilitation; The Orchard, an award-winning assisted living community in Warsaw; and convalescent centers in Mathews, Saluda and West Point. Each location is designed to provide a home-like environment, filled with opportunity for daily, personal enrichment.
CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN AGING AND LIFELONG HEALTH
The Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health (CEALH) helps older adults and their loved ones make informed decisions regarding health and well-being, understanding that some of the concerns brought on by aging can be quite complex. CEALH services range from providing geriatric assessments, to driving assessments, to teaching individuals with chronic conditions how to manage their symptoms, to providing a haven of resources and education for caregivers. CEALH’s goal is to make a complex system of services more easily accessible through education, referrals and individualized, person-centered services, tailored to the unique needs of aging adults and their families. For more information about CEALH, visit riversideonline.com/CEALH.
SENIOR CARE NAVIGATION
Taking care of yourself, or a loved one, isn’t easy when you are growing older, living alone and juggling multiple health challenges. That’s where Senior Care Navigators can step in by helping you find and coordinate services, community resources and more.
Referrals are not required for Senior Care Navigation, and you do not have to be a patient of a Riverside physician to benefit from this free service. However, if you receive medical care from Riverside physicians, they can send a notice to Riverside Senior Care Navigation to contact you with more information. Just let your physician know that you are interested in speaking with a Senior Care Navigator about Riverside and community resources for older adults. For more information about Riverside Senior Care Navigation, call 1-888-597-0828.
SPECIALIZED END OF LIFE CARE
Hospice is a closely supervised program of individualized services and overall support. It offers help and support 24/7 at home or in any home-like setting for people with a life-limiting prognosis. Some of the most common reasons people receive hospice care are health conditions like cancer, heart or lung disease, kidney or liver disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Hospice includes the symptom-relief, pain management and increased comfort benefits of palliative care with an even greater emphasis on emotional, psychological and spiritual support for patients as well as family members. Patients and their families can receive hospice for six months or longer, depending on the course of the illness. Riverside offers hospice services throughout the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck. Find and contact the office closest to you at riversideonline.com/hospice. For more information about Riverside Health System on the Middle Peninsula, visit riversideonline.com/RWRH. For details about Riverside in Tappahannock and on the Northern Neck, visit riversideonline.com/RTH.