Geriatric Medicine

Older people today often find themselves "sandwiched" between two generations which require a great deal of their time and energy. With people living longer and couples having children later in life, many middle-aged people are caring for their own children while tending to aging parents in need of attention.

Geriatric Medicine is a specialty that focuses on medical issues and diseases of aging, and of old age. Medical care becomes more complex as you age and encounter more medical conditions. A geriatrician is an expert in how medical conditions impact one another, in how each medication interacts with others and how both medical conditions and medications uniquely affect you as you age.

North Mississippi Medical Center's Behavioral Health Center treats adults of all ages in its inpatient and outpatient programs. For older adults, the facility offers outpatient individual, marital and group counseling. Also, psychologists provide special testing to determine the causes of problematic symptoms, such as memory loss, motor skill changes and mood disturbances. After the testing, follow-up recommendations are offered to the patient and family, with the option for further collaboration and teamwork with physicians and other health care providers.

NMMC-Pontotoc's Senior Intensive Outpatient Program provides therapeutic groups that allow patients an opportunity to explore and identify positive coping skills in an effort to improve their emotional and mental well-being.