Summa Senior Health Center
The Summa Senior Health Center is a nationally recognized comprehensive and specialized care center and research and education facility. Its dedicated staff of geriatricians, nurses and social workers offer inpatient and outpatient care and other services in the following areas:
- Memory assessment
- Geriatric assessment
- Fall assessment
- Palliative Care
- Social work services
- Neuropsychology assessments
At the Summa Health Senior Health Center, we take a team-based approach to caring for older adults. This collaborative care is what makes the Summa Health Senior Health Center different.
Our collaborative care team of provider and social worker works directly with each patient and their care partners — be that family, friends or other caregivers — to develop a customized plan. Everyday primary care is still handled by your primary care physician. However, our services provide an extra layer of support by a team trained in caring for the unique needs of older adults. This team specializes in coordinating complex aspects of an older adult’s care in order to preserve independence for as long as possible.
At the Summa Senior Health Center, we can help seniors and families/caregivers who are:
- Dealing with complex situations such as cognitive, health, psychiatric or social issues with an older adult
- New to elder care or uncomfortable with elder care decision-making
- Faced with a sudden decision or major change, such as a health crisis or a change in living arrangements
- Unsure of what elder care options and services/resources are available within their community
During Your Visit
The goal of your first visit to the Senior Health Center will be to complete a geriatric assessment and establish a care plan—an "action plan" for future medical care. The plan will:
- Identified medical, physical and social issues
- Suggest specific interventions or actions
- Recommend resources to provide any necessary support services
Our collaborative care team often suggests care alternatives you might not have considered. Our training, experience and familiarity with the resources available in the local community make us a valuable asset in making decisions about eldercare.
After the first visit, our geriatricians will communicate with the patient’s primary care provider to share the team’s findings and discuss how to implement the team’s recommendations.
Geriatric Assessment
Even if you are not concerned about a specific problem your older loved one is having, a geriatric assessment may be appropriate. This is a comprehensive look at the medical, functional, social and cognitive needs and abilities of a patient by a provider and a social worker. Many times our patients and families refer to this as a “baseline.”
Sometimes we uncover treatable problems, for example, incontinence or constipation that the patient has assumed is normal. Sometimes we are able to streamline a medication list. All the time we are able to provide education and support to patients and their families that are in this caregiving journey.
To learn more about geriatric assessments or to make an appointment, please call 330.375.4100.
Memory Services
While memory loss is common in older adults, it should not be considered “normal.” If you notice a problem in your loved one, it is important to have this evaluated.
When we say “memory loss” we are actually talking about much more than short- or long-term memory. We are also thinking about other ways that the brain works and allows people to interact with their environment. This includes speech and language, the ability to do calculations and math, orientation to time and place, and the individual’s ability to plan and organize day-to-day tasks. If “memory loss” becomes severe enough to affect function – we call this dementia. There are many different illnesses that can cause dementia.
It is important that patients with dementia (memory loss severe enough to affect function) get treated early for several reasons:
- Many medications work best when started in the early stage
- Families can learn how best to support a patient struggling with the effects of a dementia diagnosis and can learn where to go for help
- Patients can more fully participate in decision making
At the Summa Health Senior Health Center, we are able to perform this evaluation. To assess memory loss, it is important to do the following:
- Take a complete history including onset and progression of the memory problem
- Review the effect the memory loss is having on function (such as driving, personal care, etc.)
- Closely examine all medications that are being taken
- Screen for medical causes of memory loss— generally obtaining blood work and a brain imaging study
After this evaluation, we will provide you with as specific of a diagnosis as possible and make treatment recommendations.
To make an appointment for any of these services, please call 330.375.4100.