Welcome to Geriatrics MD

There are many types of dementia in the elderly such as Alzheimer’s, lewy body dementia, vascular dementia and mixed type ( combination of alzheimer’s and vascular).
Family members sometimes start noticing that their loves one is becoming isolated(remains at home instead of going out), or changes in behavior or changes in personality or sometimes refusing to take a shower or eat. Their memory loss is progressive and eventually start affecting their activities of daily living such as taking a shower, hygiene, cooking, shopping or doing accounting. Usually patients denie that they are having a “memory problem”, instead they do the opossite, they do a “cover-up” and pretend that there is no memory loss. As the disease progresses, the memory loss becomes more evident and changes in behavior and personality and ability to remember vocabulary and eventually patients might end-up in a nursing home. Complications of dementia includes pneumonia, urinary tract infections, pressure ulcers, malnutrition, failure to thrive, blood clots and others. It is important to do an evalaution as soon as possible, so the earlier the more interventions can be done.

 Vascular Dementia: Usually patients have Diabetes, history of heart attacks, cardiac arrhtymias such as atrial fibrillation. Then patient develops a transient ischemic stroke or a stroke leaving the patient with motor deficits or paralyzed on one side. Then the memory loss appears and then there is some improvement but then after a second stroke the memory gets worse. Patients will need to have a CT scan or MRI of the brain. The treatment focus on treat the underlying diseases that triger the stroke such as the high blood pressure or the hyperlipidemia.

 Please call for an appointment at 407-771-0404 or www.geriatricsmd.com

Geriatricians are becoming difficult to find. The training in geriatrics is generating less number of physicians. However the elderly population is getting bigger, especially in Central Florida. Dr Carlos Mercado, MD board certified geriatrician provides  a comprehensive program for the elderly. This program includes evaluation for dementia or memory loss, lack of energy, depression, fall evaluation and use of multiple medication and other common geriatric syndromes. At GeriatricsMD, our geriatrician focus on diseases of the elderly and how to evaluate them and treat. The clinical presentation of many diseases in the elderly is different than diseases in younger people. For example UTI’s (Urinary tract infection) presents more often with gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting instead of burning sensation with urination. Memory loss is sometimes difficult to evaluate, since many medications and its side effects and depression as an example can mimic dementia. Our geriatrician at GERIATRICSMD will be able to disect the patient’s symptoms and put them in perspective and treat appropiately. Please call for an appointment at GERIATRICSMD at 407-771-0404 or go to our website www.geriatricsmd.com

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