November 11, 2025 • 36 mins
TMI host Jenn Seay along with her Valley Girls, Jess and Melanie, talk to Section Chief of Senior Care at the new Valley Health Center for Senior Wellness Dr. Cynthia Pinson about what to expect when getting older and tips for caregivers.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(00:21):
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Speaker 2 (00:44):
This is TMI Talking Medical Information with Value Health.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Hello and welcome to another episode of TMI Talking Medical
Information with Value Health and I am your host, gen
C from iHeart Rate and I'm with my Valley Girls
once again, Jess Staple He and Melanie Atkins.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Everybody hope we're having a great day.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yes, And today we are talking to section chief of
Senior Care at Valley Health Center for Senior Wellness, doctor
Cindy Pittson. Hello. Hello, so doctor Pinson, we are going
to kind of get into a more mature talk today,
if you will. Yes, we can be mature. We can
not just our aid.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
I'm sure about that. We're going to try really hard.
We're going to try.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Yes, we are going to talk a little bit more
about what goes on in life in an advanced age,
more of a senior lifestyle, and what we can expect.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Look, I'm about me, gen Z, you're on my list already.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
I'm not looking at you for that.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
I'm looking at you. She was not looking at Jim.
Jess looking at her. All right, it's all right. Well
let's start it off right there. What really qualifies for
senior care geriatrics? This kind of hurts me a little bit,
doctor Pinson. I was not expecting to qualify in this area,
(02:10):
but apparently it's a possible.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Well, you know, after you turn fifty, did you get
that letter from a ARP that says, do your senior.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Can I'd neither confirm or deny that. Yes, I got one. Yes, yes,
and it wounded me. It wounded me a little bit.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
But you can get discounts if your age fifty.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
That's true.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
I like that part.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
That is true.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
I'm not putting a sticker on my car, though, but
there you'll go.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
So what's the official age?
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Well, the official age for medical people is really like
sixty five and above, okay for truly geriatric care. But
we take care of people that a little bit younger
than that in their fifties as well. Was multiple medical problems,
and some people could have medical illnesses that make some
age or behave or in a certain way that has
(02:55):
a lot more medical needs.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
So I like that answer. I like that answer. So
it's it's sixty five issues, yes, or now.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
When I was pregnant at thirty five years old, I
was called geriatric. Didn't care for that title at that time. Okay,
So clearly that's not what we're doing now.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
I think they were just making fun of you.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Oh I ow, I'm actually going to talk to my
provider that's here at Valley Help.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
Yeah, ye might.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Get someone into shins on the way out the door.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
I'm not quite sure.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Billing purposes only that's right.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
So anywhere from fifty to sixty five, and what are
some of the issues that people sort of start thinking, Hmmm,
I might need some different kind of care with this issue.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
As we grow older, there are definitely issues that happens
to our body that kind of breaks down, or there
will be stress we've carried our whole life and it's
finally kind of catching up with us. The archeries get stiffer.
There's all sorts of things that can happen, and you're
going to have symptoms usually. That's what brings people in.
They having some aches and pains that they haven't experienced before,
and they are wanting to do an activity they used
(04:00):
to excel in and now they can't quite get there.
And then they're starting to blame that on age. Oh
it's because I'm getting older. My thing is, don't say that,
because not everything aging is actually bad for you, and
not everything is because you've aged. There are other things
that could be going wrong with you that can be
checked out and you know, possibly reverse. But I would
(04:22):
think symptoms usually is what brings people in.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
What would you say, is there like one or two
symptoms that you see almost all the time or frequently
that identify with aches and pains.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
It's huge. You know, people talk about that a lot
of their joints are stiff and they have aches, and
they used to be able to walk three miles a day.
Now they can't, or they haven't walked as a habit before,
now they're starting to and they can't quite even get
that in, and then they're concerned. I think pain is
a real warning sign that the body sends out and
then it's one of the things that people actually listen to.
(04:56):
And there are definitely other issues that people can have,
you know, if they're short of breath or they can
hardly get around, and they will prompt them to think, oh,
maybe I need to do a little bit more digging
with my doctor or seek a specialist, or if they
have symptoms there are difficult to identify with all that
they've done, and they might want to seek, you know,
another special list to kind of find out what's going
(05:18):
on with them.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
So then, like you said, not all things about aging
are bad, correct, So what can the good?
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Yeah, let's hear that.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
I mean, honestly, when I have menopause, I know that
there are symptoms, but I'm excited to not have to
worry about stuff every month.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
And know what I'm yes, it is nice to have
something off your checklist.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Yes, well, life is not necessarily all diminished once you
age to a certain point. There are good things that
comes with it. I mean, there is always done that's
being built, and hopefully you have gained some at that
time and you've learned to let some things go and
then the things that happen in life or people in
life just don't bother you as much. So you have
that piece. And spiritually, seniors do gain in spirituality and
(06:05):
that helps with their peace. And there's a consideration. So
what is my life goal now?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Now?
Speaker 4 (06:11):
I'm you know, fifty five or sixty five, and hopefully
people have retired by then. So what is my goal now?
Is what matters to the most to me at this
stage in my age. So there's time for reflection and contemplation.
And you know, there's more free time usually and their
grand children that are supposed to be better than children
(06:32):
to hang out with. Yeah, we're waiting to see that.
And then there are people that can take trips. They
just have more freedom to do things and spend more
time with their families. So there are so many positive
things that comes with aging.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yeah, you can get those AARP discounts with your trips.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
Yes, with a little backpack that comes with it.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I'm talking about my gosh, I love getting free gifts.
That is. I think that's really interesting because all I mean,
how many times have you thought like, I'm getting older,
Oh this hurts, But you're right, there's I think when
you get to be older, your give a care gets
broken a little bit about stuff that would just amp
you up earlier in life. You're like, whatever you do,
(07:12):
you you know, and so you just kind of go
on and things are better. So your mental health it
is different. It is your stress levels could alter and
maybe diminish in that way, and then other cares and
concerns come up. But like the travel Zundes also say
that sounds like.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
A great I forget.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
They do call them the golden years, you know.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
So with the opening of the Center for Senior Wellness
and we are very excited to offer this new service
line and all that it's going to bring to Valley Health,
what can your patience and their loved ones when they're
coming to see you. What's what's going to be different
about their experience than maybe you know, as they're transitioning
from pediatrics to family care, family care now to senior care,
what does that look like in terms of their typical
(07:53):
visit for you.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
We emphasize on discussions of goals of care. We I
usually want to find out where they are in their
health and how they feel about it. And there are
people that maybe have a lot of diagnosis and take
some medication, but they feel good. Then there are people
that are the opposite. I like to meet people where
they are, empathize with their conditions and how they feel
(08:15):
about life and what their life goals are at that point.
There are four ms that we talk about in geriatric care,
and the top end is what matters the most to you,
and that will be given that your health situations like this,
given that you are in this condition, what matters the
most to you right now? And the answers are you
(08:35):
surprisingly pretty consistent with, well, what really matters is family
and relationships, having peace in life, and try not to
get sicker. So and there are other things if they're
encountering a hardship in life, such as a cancer diagnosis,
to you know, finish treatment. So we ask those questions
every visit because we want to address what matters the
most to them, and then the other aspect will be
(08:58):
their medication, their men and their no mobility. Those are
things that are important to them. Okay, so we'll address
now that we don't take care of the things that
primary care would have taken care of. We do that,
but the focus is on so what matters to you,
Because someone that's seventy another guy that's seventy could have
very different health. Yeah, it could be completely different. There
(09:20):
are seventy two year old they are probably climbing mountains
out there in Colorado. Then there are seventy two year
olds there a home and bedfast. So we address all
of that based on who they are as a person
and what do they want out of life. And that's
kind of where we come in.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
Okay, it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
So then I know that it's probably a hard topic
to bring up, say if someone is having more memory
loss or someone might be falling more. I know that
there are a lot of times that you may not
want to confront that in your own self, may not
want to admit I didn't remember that, And so how
(09:58):
do you handle that.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
With a lot of with a lot of care. First,
I think people have to understand that you do love
them and care for them, and that's why I'm asking
this question, so I'm not just prying into their private lives.
A lot of empathy, like I said, meet and what
they are. And I'm really good at reading the room.
So if I know that this is something I need
to do today, and I sort of have to read
(10:21):
the room and see when it's a good time to
bring it up, and then I will bring it up.
Because I'm very honest with my patients if they have
a need, and I will try to meet them and
we usually I usually don't have a hard time talking
about those with them because I'm like okay with it,
I'm okay with the topic. I'm very comfortable talking about
things that are deteriorating in them that they might want
(10:42):
to deny, and I kind of just lead the conversation
into and I just listen to them, and patients usually
they actually start talking and they will give it all up.
They will start saying things that lead into what I
need to ask them. So it's the art of just
kind of getting into the conversation and knowing what my
goal is in the back of my mind and just
(11:03):
kind of figure out how to get there with them
not feeling offended or I'm blindsided if by a question
like that. But you're right, there are people that don't
want to talk about it, and I get it. I
may not want to talk about it either, or rather
talk about golfing with you. But there are things I
have to take care of this business, you know, we
have to take care of the business.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
I know.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Sometimes I'm starting to go to more and more appointments
with my parents, so I'm sort of in the zone,
but also taking my parents who are definitely in the zone.
So if you have a family member in the room
who wants to address something, it's not actually the patient.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
That could be tricky.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Sometimes my parents are not completely honest about what is
going on, so you just kind of is that you
read the room, kind of sniffing out d of thing.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
Yeah, And there are times if I know something is
up because I can sense it and I can see
there might be a little conflict between the two people there.
Sometimes I may excuse and take the daughter out to
the hallway, or take the patient he can you go
give us a sample, and then we quickly kind of
confirm that there has been an issue, and then that helps.
(12:10):
And sometimes you know, people are very smart. They will
call it office first, so and bring my parents in.
He's being really forgiveful, but he will absolutely not admit it.
So do something about it. But just be careful because
you will go off on you. I've had warnings like
that plenty of time, so those are very helpful. So overall,
just work with the whole family. And you're right, mellef.
(12:32):
Sometimes you don't get the truth from people. You have
to really ask them. And it's the other way too.
Sometimes the children see things very differently. Sometimes the older
adults see it very differently too, so I ask them
what's really going on as well.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Yeah, to get everyone's opinion. The whole picture is we
need to do absolutely.
Speaker 5 (12:52):
So if Life and Aging specifically came with a manual,
what would chapter one be called? From all of your experience?
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Don't panic?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
That's after a while.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
I like that.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
I like maybe book one.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Yeah, yeah, the first first, the first series, I mean
it is it's kind of scary because you you don't
want to be diminished, you don't want to not be
able to do all the things you do, and then
all of a sudden, you're like, like you said, these
aches and pains. I can't run anymore. It's even hard
to walk anymore or get down and scrub the floor
(13:27):
because my knees are killing me. So it's it's hard
to admit and you need somebody to help you navigate.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
It, Yes, to reassure you that some some symptoms are
not dangerous and but some symptoms maybe. So that's what
we see too, because when the patient comes in, they
may have the whole list of things and they're scared
that they have cancer because they have joint pain. Well,
you know, this opportunity to do exam, you know, run
some tests and reassure them what that's not what it is?
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Right, Yeah, I will say my dad when he's working
at the house, he does wear his knee pads when
he has to be out on the ground anymore, which
is I think fantastic, like hurt your knees anymore?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Right, So, yeah, little.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Things I would think to kind of help yourself along
the way.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Probably a good idea, and that don't panic, let's let's
work on. Let's talk a little bit more about that.
If we're not going to panic, that's there's got to
be because there's help out there. Yes, So what are
some of the big issues that people you said pain?
So what are some of the alternatives that can help
us as seniors? Not one talking about anybody specific attag me.
(14:35):
What are some things that you can do to kind
of assist you on some of these bumps that you've
got in the way when you're you know, when you
are sore. There's surely different therapies, different medicines. How do
you pick out what's right for your patients.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Over a counter? There are definitely lots of medications you
can take to assist with that. Some of those, however,
its not something you should take for a very long
time without checking with your physician because some medications have
side effects and can cause more problems and then it's
worth so you're checking with your providers about it and
other things. I do a lot of instructions on lifestyle
(15:09):
changes and what you can do at a minimum to
like help yourself age better. I just tell people just move, like,
keep moving. If you have always been walking, just because
you turn seventy years old doesn't mean you have to stop.
Just keep moving. And if you haven't gotten a habit
of moving, you'll get moving. Just get started, even a
(15:31):
little bit of stroll around the house, outside the house,
drive to the mall and walk, and if you're near apart,
get a partner. Like just get moving. That's probably the
best advice I have for people to keep up with
all of the joints and all of your muscles and
your balance, and that's really the best thing to do.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Okay, how about stretching. Do you feel like that's important?
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Very important. Stretching is very important. You don't have to
spend a whole hour stretching either. I mean some of
these inventions doesn't take that much time, like an hour day.
If you can put aside to a walk and stretch,
do some setups.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
You know, looked right at me and said that I'm wounded.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
I don't know why we always look at Come on,
where's the love people?
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Where's the love?
Speaker 2 (16:19):
I could take it.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
You're not wondered toward us too, It's fine, yes.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
No, you're right.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Strength is important and flexibility to I just find myself
even like like turn backwards and drive backwards and like
park and all that, Like my stretching my shoulder, I've
got to keep working on it to keep you know
to keep being able to be flexible.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
You should, Yes, is there anything that a that older
people might say they're offended by when a younger person
talks to them, Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Do you have time?
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Sometimes we when they do have some hearing problems, we
tend to be really loud and speak very slowly, like
they're non intelligent. I do know. The people get pretty
offended by that, and they're like, yeah, I may be deaf,
but I'm not stupid. So we have to be sensitive
with that. And because I do practice medicine with older adults,
(17:16):
I have made a habit of just saying it's my voice, okay,
like this is too loud, it's just too soft, because
they may not want to say I can't hear you.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Oh okay, yeah, well hate.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
To wear hearing it is, although they need to, and
they usually don't want to wear them, and then they
don't want admit that they can't hear. And you can't
have a conversation without hearing part of the information, right,
So I just ask these kind of questions and treat
it as a matter of fact. You know, are you
having any trouble hearing me? Because my voice is kind
of soft? Usually, so I always ask them, am I
(17:47):
too low? And then I know that's just right. Then
that's good.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Okay, yeah, that's how you step around that.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
So you do, yes.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Can you walk us through? So you have a new patient,
how would that first appointment and go?
Speaker 4 (18:01):
Usually what I'm hoping is they have some kind of
medical records as available already, so I've read that. So
then when I'm going in, I have in my mind
some of the stuff that needs to be addressed, and
then I ask them, you know, we start a conversation.
I usually tell them this visit is going to be
about forty five minutes to an hour because it's our
first visit and hoping to find out your symptoms and
(18:23):
what part of your health history that you have concerns over.
And usually with my population, I do a cognitive test.
It's very brief, and I reassure them is not to
do anything bad. It just I just kind of want
to know where you are as our baseline, and if
there is any kind of mood disorder possibly involved, and
we do depression screening. Then we talk about goals of
(18:44):
care and we talk about Evans care planning. That's usually
how the visit goes so I are not for them first.
These are all the things going to hit on doesn't
mean we have to go in that order. Like whatever
you say, I will follow it in my head, understanding
this is part of that conversation. And then we just
start talking, and I let them talk for a while
so they can get everything out, because I believe when
(19:07):
we interrupt too soon, and sometimes people just don't trust
you enough to continue, or you just get on a
different topic and believe or not, some patients save the
best for last, so I haven't learned that in my
clinical practice, so especially to let them talk, talk, talk,
Then they are like, oh, she's listening to me. Then
they will actually tell you what's really bothering them, so
(19:29):
I don't have to avoid the situation where you thought
everything was done nothing else is going on. Then you're
getting ready to stand up and leave. They're like, well,
by the way, I really was worried about this one thing,
and I've been afraid to tell you, so now I'm
going to tell you an hour later. So that's a trick.
And I always teach my students and I said, just
let them talk. You want them to get it all
out because you want to dig up that hidden question
(19:52):
that they actually have.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Right, this is like talking to my stepdaughter. It's like
you've just got to let them talk. Just sit there, listen,
don't say word, don't judge, don't worry about just keep
on talking to me.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Okay, I like it. You try to establish that trust
to that comfort. I've heard other doctors say it's like
the doorknob question. You reach for the doorknobs and then
the real question comes. So you just have to get comfortable.
It's got to get comfortable.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Yeah, and there's definitely a technique. It's not everyone that
becomes a doctor have that innate thing in them to
look like a good listener, to actually be a good listener.
So you just train yourself to do that.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
We know, medicine and technology and all those good things
are changing all the time because we're all scrolling on
our phones and using all of those What new innovations
or trends are you seeing that are specifically really really
great for this population.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
It's gonna be great when the AI actually develops more.
I mean, there's so much help that will be out
there for people that perhaps are just home by themselves
or their children look far away and then there's robot
it that can help with assistance with all your daily activities.
You know, things that we take for granted right now,
(21:07):
like getting dressed and getting to the bathroom and back
and take a shower, take a bath, you know, getting
something to eat, and you know, go in grocery shopping.
Like there are so many things that we do to
keep ourselves alive that you don't think will be difficult
until you can't do them independently anymore. So robots can
help with that. And food prep is usually an issue.
(21:30):
Sometimes older people end up not able to cook the
full meal and they end up eating things that may
be less nutritious, like frozen dinners, and so that can
be helped. But there's home monitoring system. We have patients
now that have children that have installed all kinds of
home monitoring stuff because they don't live in the same state.
But they turn on their phone and they watch their parents.
(21:51):
They can watch them what they're doing, yes, yes, and
then and then there's motion detections, so if they haven't
been up for a while, several hours, then they will
be alerted to check. There's just so many technology and
I feel like that's really going to be very positive
to require less for human to have to be there
in person, because if you're not able to have a
(22:13):
caregiver there all the time, in some cases, these people
have to have, you know, moved to like assist living
or nursing home or moving with children or another person.
But with more technology, I do think that's going to
protect them longer. They can give them a little more freedom.
People love independence, and not everyone jump at the idea
(22:35):
of moving to assist living or moving with their children
or nursing home for that matter. So to maintain their
independence as long as they can safely. You know, we
kind of want to balance happiness with safety, and I
don't know there's ever a happy business and safety balance
that you can reach. But you do have these two things.
You're trying to figure out for your parents, if that's
(22:57):
who you're taking care of, how to make them happy
still but then keep them safe at the same time,
and were you're not like going crazy thing worrying about them. Yeah,
it's a lot.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
It's a balancing act, that's for sure. That's for sure.
But senior care is a lot different than primary care.
I mean, I'm just I know in my experience and
I never the thing that always blows my mind on
how different it can be is as a woman. We've
all had UTIs, and even men had had UTIs before.
And I remember so vividly the first time my mother
in law had a UTI and she was I didn't
(23:31):
know what was it, what it was. I mean, she
was sitting on the floor literally swinging at me. She
didn't recognize me, and I was like, something is really wrong.
I don't know, like she was like actually unable to speak.
And so I took her to the doctor and the
doctor said she had a UTA, and I wanted to
(23:51):
go listen, buddy, this cannot possibly be true. And so
it is just remarkable the difference between a UTI at
twenty five and a UTI at seventy five and what
that does to your body, because that's what that is,
what it was, and I did not believe them. I
was like calling my husband, Honey, this doctor is crazy.
(24:13):
There's no way this is true. I mean, your mod
something is really wrong and all it was, but she
needed antibiotics. So what other things are like that from
twenties to thirties where there's such a drastic difference in
how to approach them or what those symptoms can actually be.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Yeah, your body changes so much when you're older. Like
I said, things are just a little bit discomfort for
a younger woman. Is a life lightning disease for an
older adult. And I think a fall is you know,
we were talking about sure that last time. A fall
is similar to that. I mean, it will be really
inconvenient if we have fallen and you know, broke our risk,
(24:54):
but it's devastating for someone that's older. That could completely
mean that she will not be independent anymore, or like ever,
may not be able to rehab to the point where
she can use her domina hand again to help herself.
So there's there's a difference in primary care in geriatric care.
But I think the difference is really just the focus.
Because PCPs take care of a lot of people, they
(25:15):
probably take care most of the people that are seniors,
and geriatrics focus on people that have a lot more
complicated issues of polypharmacy and things like that. I think
that's the difference.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
I know you've mentioned sometimes folks are moving in with
a loved one or a child, do you also encourage
those folks to come with them to that first appointment.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
I always do, and I always call them if they're
not there, because we do have technology now that people
don't have to be present face to face, although you
know that is something I've always preferred, but you know,
since COVID, I've changed my mind. I think telephones are
fine and face to face visits are just great. Like
I've learned how to communicate without the person being there
right in front of me, but I always do because
(26:01):
you really need the other person's story. So I do
encourage them to come with the parents or the older
person they're taken care of, well they're not, I'll just
request what can I just call? I just call right
there in their room. And people usually have phones, if
knowledge is use our phone to call and say, hey,
you know, you know, do you have ten minutes? I
just kind of want to hear what you have to
(26:21):
say because the stories can be quite different, and we
just want to be able to take care of the
whole person, including their family, and really they are a unit.
And I can't take care of the parents well without
the caregiver or the children being involved, feeding the information
that I need to know that maybe omitted, or just
giving me insights into what the struggles really are at home.
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Yeah, and probably sometimes even on the flip side, the
struggle for the caregiver, because I'm sure it's a lot
to help an assist and care for mom and dad.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
You know, we've always called that age group the sandwich population.
The sandwich group. You know, you have the parents at home,
then you still have children, so you're just like the
sandwich in the middle.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Trying to figure it all out. Yeah, let's talk about
medication management. That seems like that would be a big
topic as we all age and just trying to keep
things straight. What would be your suggestions on how to
do that?
Speaker 4 (27:15):
Right, don't take any I'm just getting it's pretty difficult.
When my mother in law became older and to the
point that I discovered she wasn't taking her medications, which
it took a long time because I didn't know, she
didn't tell me, and she was completely with it.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
I think you just made one million people feel better
saying that doctor Pinson didn't know, because you can forgive
yourself that maybe. I mean, life is busy, you know,
and it can happen to anybody.
Speaker 4 (27:42):
There was even the professionals, even the professionals, and I
was there all the time too. That's the crazy thing
when I finally figured out, so I started putting her
medicines in you know, pill boxes, which did help her,
and it helped me too, because I could go back
there and flip them all open and see if she
took them. And then I will find that one day
will be taken, the next day will be missing. Then,
(28:02):
you know, so all sorts of things start showing up.
There are technologies now that you can put all the
medicines in this I don't know what to call it,
this machine and actually reminds the person it's nine o'clock.
It's time to take your nine o'clock medication. Then they
will go over there and do it. There are technologies
gonna help us a lot. I tell you, Managing someone's
(28:24):
you know, twenty some sorts of medications is a nightmare.
I had a really hard time filling our boxes the
first few times. I always thought was to pull my
hair out.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
It is almost like a two person job to make
sure it's done right sometimes and for my data. I
sometimes will sit down with them and just kind of
take a peek. But they have one of those automated
pill boxes and it actually has lights and flashes and
rotates and its streaming at them until they till over
and actually it has that sixation the medicine is out.
(28:56):
So that's been super helpful for us.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Absolutely, and this these lock too, so like they can't
do it, they can't empty yeah unless yeah yeah, And for.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
People to have a little bit of memory issues is
really a problem. I mean, did I take it? Did
I not? If you don't have it in the mean,
I recently start taking medications, and I tell you what,
there are days I'm driving to work, I'm thinking, hmmm,
did I do it? Did I not?
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I don't remember? We think about it, do it?
Speaker 4 (29:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (29:22):
Exact?
Speaker 2 (29:22):
And my everybody's so busy. I think, no matter what
age you are saying, it's it's easy to lose track
of did I do that or not or not?
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Now, I do wonder when you are getting to an
age where you might be forgetting things a little more,
are there scans that you can do pre scans for
your brain to see if maybe you are at a
higher risk for dementia or I mean, I'm sure if
you had any type of family history, does that play
into it as well?
Speaker 4 (29:48):
All of them, all of the above, we don't really
pre scan you know, the way medical care is delivered
these days is mostly by symptoms. So if you say, oh,
my father had dementia, fre I will have it. Can
you scan my brain? I mean conventionally, there really isn't
anything like that that can be done when we can
test you and keep monitoring you, keep screening you for
(30:09):
these type of things and teach you what to watch for.
But there isn't anything like that pre skin. But it's
pretty common if you have some kind of vascular disease risk.
I always say, you know, your your brain is just
like your heart's heart. What's heart healthy, it's also brain healthy.
You know, you hear a lot about heart healthy diet.
(30:31):
You know, lower your cholesterol, don't smoke, lower your blood pressure,
control your diabetes, you know, not your bees, exercise, All
those things are also healthy for your brain. So if
you have diabetes, you have blood pressure, you have cholesterol issue,
chances are you could have vascular dementia, which is a
type of dementia later on your life. So that is
(30:52):
a risk factor. So what do you do? You modify
those by taking medications, exercising and listening to your doctor
and listen to your spouse well your kids to get
healthier and then decrease your chance of having this type
of mansion symptoms later.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
I think one thing that I'd be interested in knowing
more about is what are your thoughts about socialization community
like community and groups and not isolating ones. I feel
like my grandparents were very much like wanted to stay
at home, wanted to be by themselves, and when one
passed the other one didn't want people around, and so
we saw a decline pretty rapidly. So how important is
(31:31):
staying not only active but involved as much as they can.
Speaker 4 (31:36):
Yeah, you know, human beings are designed to be together, socialized,
and that's our thing. Socialization is very important. But what
you are saying is me I see that a lot too,
when one gets a little bit harder to get out
and sometimes their friends passed away before they did, and
there's less friends, and you tend to somehow start isolating.
Maybe not mean to, but it's just more comfortable that way,
(31:58):
perhaps because it does take up to get out sometimes
and find the right kind of people you actually want
to hang out with. But socialization is very important. It
really keeps your mind sharp and conversations are very important
to have, and you know, keep out with the news
and talk about football and craft together. Those are very
good and that's why sometimes people actually do better in
(32:18):
the environment where there's more socialization. There are definitely people
moving into retirement communities when they're hardly you know, aging,
but they want to be there because they know that
if they don't then they will be limited in how
much socialization they will do. So they go there so
they can hang out with their friends. They have all
kinds of activities. They take bus trips, coding club in
(32:38):
whatever it is to keep going. So that's what I
encourage people to do. I mean, it may seem difficult
to do, but do it. People like senior centers. They're
very good in email adult daycare. They're good with people
with cognitive deficits because their activities are designed for them.
They're more appropriate for their brain. And I recently had
(32:58):
the patient that started there. He was living with his
son and they are very attentive children, their grandchildren, but
the son decided that really needs like to socialize with
people of his own age, and he did it, and
he's made a completely turnaround. He's so much better mentally,
he's happier, he's he's sharper, he walks better. He's I
(33:19):
love it, he says. Three times a week. I get
to stay for a hours and I've met all his
friends and they're teaching him how to play table games
that he's never played before. Me. This guy worked his
whole life, never played, so he's like doing all these things,
and I just I was so touched.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
It's so sweet, like a whole new life for him.
Speaker 4 (33:36):
His a whole new life.
Speaker 5 (33:37):
That's amazing, love.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Said the Barbersville Senior Center. I can't wait. I get
the newsletter every month and I see everything that is. Yes.
We go on trips to them all. They also go
on to see they go, they have typing class, they
guilt in class. I wait to be a member of Yes.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
I mean, that's the encouraging thing that you want to
hear when you talk about getting older. Everybody is like
the want want, But like I said, there are a
lot of wonderful things about it, and you can do
things to make your experience the best possibly you can be.
Because we can't not age, that's not an option. We
can't hit that button, so we're all doing it.
Speaker 4 (34:12):
I think my patient always says, well, what's the alternative?
It's death? If we don't age.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
I'll choose a thanks exactly, We'll choose agent, doctor Pinson.
Speaker 5 (34:24):
What are you most looking forward to with with joining
us next door at the Peerage complex.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
I'm very excited because there are already systems set in
place so take care of senior as well. I just
had a meeting with some of the folks there, and
I think with the coordinative care that already exists and
the staff I've met are so nice, we will do
very well in serve this community. We already have like
a bunch of people on the on the spreasheet waiting
(34:51):
to be scheduled and seeing. Yeah, I'm looking forward to
services community in that capacity and to have such good
support lobby health.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Well, I got to tell you, all the physicians and
providers I've met here at Valley Health so far have
been very open, very honest, very easy to talk to.
And that is absolutely you. You have answered any question
that we've thrown at you. But also it's just you
talk to us in a conversation, you know. I think
that's what a lot of people they might, you know,
not be so open with their doctors because it just
(35:23):
feels like a doctor patient relationship whereas you made it
seem like, Oh, I just want to know about you,
what's going.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
On in your living room? Bring me some iced tea.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
We'll have it for you next time.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
Yeah, thanks for the doctor.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
Probably never a problem, good idea.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
Okay, Well, I do believe that's all that we had
for you today, Doctor Cindy Pinson, the Section chief of
Senior Care Valley Health Center for Senior Wellness. We really
appreciate you sitting down and talking with us today, and
we look forward to everything you're going to be doing.
We might even have you back later in life.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
If that's all. It was my pleasure, sure, and I
really enjoyed it. Yeah, I'll see you back.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Wonderful, doctor Pinson.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
That is great. All right, Well, my Valley girls, just
Staples hello, and Melanie Atkins.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Have a great day.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Everybody.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
Don't forget aging is good. It's the better option. That's right.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
You want to age. There's several people, sadly that don't
get the opportunities.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Right, that's right, So we should let's do it gracefully,
shall we.
Speaker 3 (36:22):
Yes, let's do it gracefully, and we will be talking
with you again very soon on TMI. Talking Medical Information
with Valley Health. We'll see you next time.
The content shared on this podcast is for informational and
educational purposes only and should not be get strewed as
medical advice. While we strive to provide accurate and up
to date information, the host and producers make no representations
or warranties regarding the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the
information presented. Medical information this constantly evolving, and what is
discussed may not reflect the most current research or guidelines.
This podcast is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis,
(00:21):
or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or
other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have
regarding a medical condition or treatment. If you are experiencing
a medical emergency, please call emergency services immediately. By listening
to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree that the host
and producers are not liable for any decisions or actions
taken based on the information provided.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
This is TMI Talking Medical Information with Value Health.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Hello and welcome to another episode of TMI Talking Medical
Information with Value Health and I am your host, gen
C from iHeart Rate and I'm with my Valley Girls
once again, Jess Staple He and Melanie Atkins.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Everybody hope we're having a great day.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yes, And today we are talking to section chief of
Senior Care at Valley Health Center for Senior Wellness, doctor
Cindy Pittson. Hello. Hello, so doctor Pinson, we are going
to kind of get into a more mature talk today,
if you will. Yes, we can be mature. We can
not just our aid.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
I'm sure about that. We're going to try really hard.
We're going to try.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Yes, we are going to talk a little bit more
about what goes on in life in an advanced age,
more of a senior lifestyle, and what we can expect.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Look, I'm about me, gen Z, you're on my list already.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
I'm not looking at you for that.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
I'm looking at you. She was not looking at Jim.
Jess looking at her. All right, it's all right. Well
let's start it off right there. What really qualifies for
senior care geriatrics? This kind of hurts me a little bit,
doctor Pinson. I was not expecting to qualify in this area,
(02:10):
but apparently it's a possible.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Well, you know, after you turn fifty, did you get
that letter from a ARP that says, do your senior.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Can I'd neither confirm or deny that. Yes, I got one. Yes, yes,
and it wounded me. It wounded me a little bit.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
But you can get discounts if your age fifty.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
That's true.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
I like that part.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
That is true.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
I'm not putting a sticker on my car, though, but
there you'll go.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
So what's the official age?
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Well, the official age for medical people is really like
sixty five and above, okay for truly geriatric care. But
we take care of people that a little bit younger
than that in their fifties as well. Was multiple medical problems,
and some people could have medical illnesses that make some
age or behave or in a certain way that has
(02:55):
a lot more medical needs.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
So I like that answer. I like that answer. So
it's it's sixty five issues, yes, or now.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
When I was pregnant at thirty five years old, I
was called geriatric. Didn't care for that title at that time. Okay,
So clearly that's not what we're doing now.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
I think they were just making fun of you.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Oh I ow, I'm actually going to talk to my
provider that's here at Valley Help.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
Yeah, ye might.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Get someone into shins on the way out the door.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
I'm not quite sure.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Billing purposes only that's right.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
So anywhere from fifty to sixty five, and what are
some of the issues that people sort of start thinking, Hmmm,
I might need some different kind of care with this issue.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
As we grow older, there are definitely issues that happens
to our body that kind of breaks down, or there
will be stress we've carried our whole life and it's
finally kind of catching up with us. The archeries get stiffer.
There's all sorts of things that can happen, and you're
going to have symptoms usually. That's what brings people in.
They having some aches and pains that they haven't experienced before,
and they are wanting to do an activity they used
(04:00):
to excel in and now they can't quite get there.
And then they're starting to blame that on age. Oh
it's because I'm getting older. My thing is, don't say that,
because not everything aging is actually bad for you, and
not everything is because you've aged. There are other things
that could be going wrong with you that can be
checked out and you know, possibly reverse. But I would
(04:22):
think symptoms usually is what brings people in.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
What would you say, is there like one or two
symptoms that you see almost all the time or frequently
that identify with aches and pains.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
It's huge. You know, people talk about that a lot
of their joints are stiff and they have aches, and
they used to be able to walk three miles a day.
Now they can't, or they haven't walked as a habit before,
now they're starting to and they can't quite even get
that in, and then they're concerned. I think pain is
a real warning sign that the body sends out and
then it's one of the things that people actually listen to.
(04:56):
And there are definitely other issues that people can have,
you know, if they're short of breath or they can
hardly get around, and they will prompt them to think, oh,
maybe I need to do a little bit more digging
with my doctor or seek a specialist, or if they
have symptoms there are difficult to identify with all that
they've done, and they might want to seek, you know,
another special list to kind of find out what's going
(05:18):
on with them.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
So then, like you said, not all things about aging
are bad, correct, So what can the good?
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Yeah, let's hear that.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
I mean, honestly, when I have menopause, I know that
there are symptoms, but I'm excited to not have to
worry about stuff every month.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
And know what I'm yes, it is nice to have
something off your checklist.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Yes, well, life is not necessarily all diminished once you
age to a certain point. There are good things that
comes with it. I mean, there is always done that's
being built, and hopefully you have gained some at that
time and you've learned to let some things go and
then the things that happen in life or people in
life just don't bother you as much. So you have
that piece. And spiritually, seniors do gain in spirituality and
(06:05):
that helps with their peace. And there's a consideration. So
what is my life goal now?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Now?
Speaker 4 (06:11):
I'm you know, fifty five or sixty five, and hopefully
people have retired by then. So what is my goal now?
Is what matters to the most to me at this
stage in my age. So there's time for reflection and contemplation.
And you know, there's more free time usually and their
grand children that are supposed to be better than children
(06:32):
to hang out with. Yeah, we're waiting to see that.
And then there are people that can take trips. They
just have more freedom to do things and spend more
time with their families. So there are so many positive
things that comes with aging.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yeah, you can get those AARP discounts with your trips.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
Yes, with a little backpack that comes with it.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I'm talking about my gosh, I love getting free gifts.
That is. I think that's really interesting because all I mean,
how many times have you thought like, I'm getting older,
Oh this hurts, But you're right, there's I think when
you get to be older, your give a care gets
broken a little bit about stuff that would just amp
you up earlier in life. You're like, whatever you do,
(07:12):
you you know, and so you just kind of go
on and things are better. So your mental health it
is different. It is your stress levels could alter and
maybe diminish in that way, and then other cares and
concerns come up. But like the travel Zundes also say
that sounds like.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
A great I forget.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
They do call them the golden years, you know.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
So with the opening of the Center for Senior Wellness
and we are very excited to offer this new service
line and all that it's going to bring to Valley Health,
what can your patience and their loved ones when they're
coming to see you. What's what's going to be different
about their experience than maybe you know, as they're transitioning
from pediatrics to family care, family care now to senior care,
what does that look like in terms of their typical
(07:53):
visit for you.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
We emphasize on discussions of goals of care. We I
usually want to find out where they are in their
health and how they feel about it. And there are
people that maybe have a lot of diagnosis and take
some medication, but they feel good. Then there are people
that are the opposite. I like to meet people where
they are, empathize with their conditions and how they feel
(08:15):
about life and what their life goals are at that point.
There are four ms that we talk about in geriatric care,
and the top end is what matters the most to you,
and that will be given that your health situations like this,
given that you are in this condition, what matters the
most to you right now? And the answers are you
(08:35):
surprisingly pretty consistent with, well, what really matters is family
and relationships, having peace in life, and try not to
get sicker. So and there are other things if they're
encountering a hardship in life, such as a cancer diagnosis,
to you know, finish treatment. So we ask those questions
every visit because we want to address what matters the
most to them, and then the other aspect will be
(08:58):
their medication, their men and their no mobility. Those are
things that are important to them. Okay, so we'll address
now that we don't take care of the things that
primary care would have taken care of. We do that,
but the focus is on so what matters to you,
Because someone that's seventy another guy that's seventy could have
very different health. Yeah, it could be completely different. There
(09:20):
are seventy two year old they are probably climbing mountains
out there in Colorado. Then there are seventy two year
olds there a home and bedfast. So we address all
of that based on who they are as a person
and what do they want out of life. And that's
kind of where we come in.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
Okay, it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
So then I know that it's probably a hard topic
to bring up, say if someone is having more memory
loss or someone might be falling more. I know that
there are a lot of times that you may not
want to confront that in your own self, may not
want to admit I didn't remember that, And so how
(09:58):
do you handle that.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
With a lot of with a lot of care. First,
I think people have to understand that you do love
them and care for them, and that's why I'm asking
this question, so I'm not just prying into their private lives.
A lot of empathy, like I said, meet and what
they are. And I'm really good at reading the room.
So if I know that this is something I need
to do today, and I sort of have to read
(10:21):
the room and see when it's a good time to
bring it up, and then I will bring it up.
Because I'm very honest with my patients if they have
a need, and I will try to meet them and
we usually I usually don't have a hard time talking
about those with them because I'm like okay with it,
I'm okay with the topic. I'm very comfortable talking about
things that are deteriorating in them that they might want
(10:42):
to deny, and I kind of just lead the conversation
into and I just listen to them, and patients usually
they actually start talking and they will give it all up.
They will start saying things that lead into what I
need to ask them. So it's the art of just
kind of getting into the conversation and knowing what my
goal is in the back of my mind and just
(11:03):
kind of figure out how to get there with them
not feeling offended or I'm blindsided if by a question
like that. But you're right, there are people that don't
want to talk about it, and I get it. I
may not want to talk about it either, or rather
talk about golfing with you. But there are things I
have to take care of this business, you know, we
have to take care of the business.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
I know.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Sometimes I'm starting to go to more and more appointments
with my parents, so I'm sort of in the zone,
but also taking my parents who are definitely in the zone.
So if you have a family member in the room
who wants to address something, it's not actually the patient.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
That could be tricky.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Sometimes my parents are not completely honest about what is
going on, so you just kind of is that you
read the room, kind of sniffing out d of thing.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
Yeah, And there are times if I know something is
up because I can sense it and I can see
there might be a little conflict between the two people there.
Sometimes I may excuse and take the daughter out to
the hallway, or take the patient he can you go
give us a sample, and then we quickly kind of
confirm that there has been an issue, and then that helps.
(12:10):
And sometimes you know, people are very smart. They will
call it office first, so and bring my parents in.
He's being really forgiveful, but he will absolutely not admit it.
So do something about it. But just be careful because
you will go off on you. I've had warnings like
that plenty of time, so those are very helpful. So overall,
just work with the whole family. And you're right, mellef.
(12:32):
Sometimes you don't get the truth from people. You have
to really ask them. And it's the other way too.
Sometimes the children see things very differently. Sometimes the older
adults see it very differently too, so I ask them
what's really going on as well.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Yeah, to get everyone's opinion. The whole picture is we
need to do absolutely.
Speaker 5 (12:52):
So if Life and Aging specifically came with a manual,
what would chapter one be called? From all of your experience?
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Don't panic?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
That's after a while.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
I like that.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
I like maybe book one.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Yeah, yeah, the first first, the first series, I mean
it is it's kind of scary because you you don't
want to be diminished, you don't want to not be
able to do all the things you do, and then
all of a sudden, you're like, like you said, these
aches and pains. I can't run anymore. It's even hard
to walk anymore or get down and scrub the floor
(13:27):
because my knees are killing me. So it's it's hard
to admit and you need somebody to help you navigate.
Speaker 4 (13:33):
It, Yes, to reassure you that some some symptoms are
not dangerous and but some symptoms maybe. So that's what
we see too, because when the patient comes in, they
may have the whole list of things and they're scared
that they have cancer because they have joint pain. Well,
you know, this opportunity to do exam, you know, run
some tests and reassure them what that's not what it is?
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Right, Yeah, I will say my dad when he's working
at the house, he does wear his knee pads when
he has to be out on the ground anymore, which
is I think fantastic, like hurt your knees anymore?
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Right, So, yeah, little.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Things I would think to kind of help yourself along
the way.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Probably a good idea, and that don't panic, let's let's
work on. Let's talk a little bit more about that.
If we're not going to panic, that's there's got to
be because there's help out there. Yes, So what are
some of the big issues that people you said pain?
So what are some of the alternatives that can help
us as seniors? Not one talking about anybody specific attag me.
(14:35):
What are some things that you can do to kind
of assist you on some of these bumps that you've
got in the way when you're you know, when you
are sore. There's surely different therapies, different medicines. How do
you pick out what's right for your patients.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Over a counter? There are definitely lots of medications you
can take to assist with that. Some of those, however,
its not something you should take for a very long
time without checking with your physician because some medications have
side effects and can cause more problems and then it's
worth so you're checking with your providers about it and
other things. I do a lot of instructions on lifestyle
(15:09):
changes and what you can do at a minimum to
like help yourself age better. I just tell people just move, like,
keep moving. If you have always been walking, just because
you turn seventy years old doesn't mean you have to stop.
Just keep moving. And if you haven't gotten a habit
of moving, you'll get moving. Just get started, even a
(15:31):
little bit of stroll around the house, outside the house,
drive to the mall and walk, and if you're near apart,
get a partner. Like just get moving. That's probably the
best advice I have for people to keep up with
all of the joints and all of your muscles and
your balance, and that's really the best thing to do.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Okay, how about stretching. Do you feel like that's important?
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Very important. Stretching is very important. You don't have to
spend a whole hour stretching either. I mean some of
these inventions doesn't take that much time, like an hour day.
If you can put aside to a walk and stretch,
do some setups.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
You know, looked right at me and said that I'm wounded.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
I don't know why we always look at Come on,
where's the love people?
Speaker 4 (16:18):
Where's the love?
Speaker 2 (16:19):
I could take it.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
You're not wondered toward us too, It's fine, yes.
Speaker 4 (16:23):
No, you're right.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Strength is important and flexibility to I just find myself
even like like turn backwards and drive backwards and like
park and all that, Like my stretching my shoulder, I've
got to keep working on it to keep you know
to keep being able to be flexible.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
You should, Yes, is there anything that a that older
people might say they're offended by when a younger person
talks to them, Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Do you have time?
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Sometimes we when they do have some hearing problems, we
tend to be really loud and speak very slowly, like
they're non intelligent. I do know. The people get pretty
offended by that, and they're like, yeah, I may be deaf,
but I'm not stupid. So we have to be sensitive
with that. And because I do practice medicine with older adults,
(17:16):
I have made a habit of just saying it's my voice, okay,
like this is too loud, it's just too soft, because
they may not want to say I can't hear you.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Oh okay, yeah, well hate.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
To wear hearing it is, although they need to, and
they usually don't want to wear them, and then they
don't want admit that they can't hear. And you can't
have a conversation without hearing part of the information, right,
So I just ask these kind of questions and treat
it as a matter of fact. You know, are you
having any trouble hearing me? Because my voice is kind
of soft? Usually, so I always ask them, am I
(17:47):
too low? And then I know that's just right. Then
that's good.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Okay, yeah, that's how you step around that.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
So you do, yes.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Can you walk us through? So you have a new patient,
how would that first appointment and go?
Speaker 4 (18:01):
Usually what I'm hoping is they have some kind of
medical records as available already, so I've read that. So
then when I'm going in, I have in my mind
some of the stuff that needs to be addressed, and
then I ask them, you know, we start a conversation.
I usually tell them this visit is going to be
about forty five minutes to an hour because it's our
first visit and hoping to find out your symptoms and
(18:23):
what part of your health history that you have concerns over.
And usually with my population, I do a cognitive test.
It's very brief, and I reassure them is not to
do anything bad. It just I just kind of want
to know where you are as our baseline, and if
there is any kind of mood disorder possibly involved, and
we do depression screening. Then we talk about goals of
(18:44):
care and we talk about Evans care planning. That's usually
how the visit goes so I are not for them first.
These are all the things going to hit on doesn't
mean we have to go in that order. Like whatever
you say, I will follow it in my head, understanding
this is part of that conversation. And then we just
start talking, and I let them talk for a while
so they can get everything out, because I believe when
(19:07):
we interrupt too soon, and sometimes people just don't trust
you enough to continue, or you just get on a
different topic and believe or not, some patients save the
best for last, so I haven't learned that in my
clinical practice, so especially to let them talk, talk, talk,
Then they are like, oh, she's listening to me. Then
they will actually tell you what's really bothering them, so
(19:29):
I don't have to avoid the situation where you thought
everything was done nothing else is going on. Then you're
getting ready to stand up and leave. They're like, well,
by the way, I really was worried about this one thing,
and I've been afraid to tell you, so now I'm
going to tell you an hour later. So that's a trick.
And I always teach my students and I said, just
let them talk. You want them to get it all
out because you want to dig up that hidden question
(19:52):
that they actually have.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Right, this is like talking to my stepdaughter. It's like
you've just got to let them talk. Just sit there, listen,
don't say word, don't judge, don't worry about just keep
on talking to me.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Okay, I like it. You try to establish that trust
to that comfort. I've heard other doctors say it's like
the doorknob question. You reach for the doorknobs and then
the real question comes. So you just have to get comfortable.
It's got to get comfortable.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Yeah, and there's definitely a technique. It's not everyone that
becomes a doctor have that innate thing in them to
look like a good listener, to actually be a good listener.
So you just train yourself to do that.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
We know, medicine and technology and all those good things
are changing all the time because we're all scrolling on
our phones and using all of those What new innovations
or trends are you seeing that are specifically really really
great for this population.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
It's gonna be great when the AI actually develops more.
I mean, there's so much help that will be out
there for people that perhaps are just home by themselves
or their children look far away and then there's robot
it that can help with assistance with all your daily activities.
You know, things that we take for granted right now,
(21:07):
like getting dressed and getting to the bathroom and back
and take a shower, take a bath, you know, getting
something to eat, and you know, go in grocery shopping.
Like there are so many things that we do to
keep ourselves alive that you don't think will be difficult
until you can't do them independently anymore. So robots can
help with that. And food prep is usually an issue.
(21:30):
Sometimes older people end up not able to cook the
full meal and they end up eating things that may
be less nutritious, like frozen dinners, and so that can
be helped. But there's home monitoring system. We have patients
now that have children that have installed all kinds of
home monitoring stuff because they don't live in the same state.
But they turn on their phone and they watch their parents.
(21:51):
They can watch them what they're doing, yes, yes, and
then and then there's motion detections, so if they haven't
been up for a while, several hours, then they will
be alerted to check. There's just so many technology and
I feel like that's really going to be very positive
to require less for human to have to be there
in person, because if you're not able to have a
(22:13):
caregiver there all the time, in some cases, these people
have to have, you know, moved to like assist living
or nursing home or moving with children or another person.
But with more technology, I do think that's going to
protect them longer. They can give them a little more freedom.
People love independence, and not everyone jump at the idea
(22:35):
of moving to assist living or moving with their children
or nursing home for that matter. So to maintain their
independence as long as they can safely. You know, we
kind of want to balance happiness with safety, and I
don't know there's ever a happy business and safety balance
that you can reach. But you do have these two things.
You're trying to figure out for your parents, if that's
(22:57):
who you're taking care of, how to make them happy
still but then keep them safe at the same time,
and were you're not like going crazy thing worrying about them. Yeah,
it's a lot.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
It's a balancing act, that's for sure. That's for sure.
But senior care is a lot different than primary care.
I mean, I'm just I know in my experience and
I never the thing that always blows my mind on
how different it can be is as a woman. We've
all had UTIs, and even men had had UTIs before.
And I remember so vividly the first time my mother
in law had a UTI and she was I didn't
(23:31):
know what was it, what it was. I mean, she
was sitting on the floor literally swinging at me. She
didn't recognize me, and I was like, something is really wrong.
I don't know, like she was like actually unable to speak.
And so I took her to the doctor and the
doctor said she had a UTA, and I wanted to
(23:51):
go listen, buddy, this cannot possibly be true. And so
it is just remarkable the difference between a UTI at
twenty five and a UTI at seventy five and what
that does to your body, because that's what that is,
what it was, and I did not believe them. I
was like calling my husband, Honey, this doctor is crazy.
(24:13):
There's no way this is true. I mean, your mod
something is really wrong and all it was, but she
needed antibiotics. So what other things are like that from
twenties to thirties where there's such a drastic difference in
how to approach them or what those symptoms can actually be.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
Yeah, your body changes so much when you're older. Like
I said, things are just a little bit discomfort for
a younger woman. Is a life lightning disease for an
older adult. And I think a fall is you know,
we were talking about sure that last time. A fall
is similar to that. I mean, it will be really
inconvenient if we have fallen and you know, broke our risk,
(24:54):
but it's devastating for someone that's older. That could completely
mean that she will not be independent anymore, or like ever,
may not be able to rehab to the point where
she can use her domina hand again to help herself.
So there's there's a difference in primary care in geriatric care.
But I think the difference is really just the focus.
Because PCPs take care of a lot of people, they
(25:15):
probably take care most of the people that are seniors,
and geriatrics focus on people that have a lot more
complicated issues of polypharmacy and things like that. I think
that's the difference.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
I know you've mentioned sometimes folks are moving in with
a loved one or a child, do you also encourage
those folks to come with them to that first appointment.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
I always do, and I always call them if they're
not there, because we do have technology now that people
don't have to be present face to face, although you
know that is something I've always preferred, but you know,
since COVID, I've changed my mind. I think telephones are
fine and face to face visits are just great. Like
I've learned how to communicate without the person being there
right in front of me, but I always do because
(26:01):
you really need the other person's story. So I do
encourage them to come with the parents or the older
person they're taken care of, well they're not, I'll just
request what can I just call? I just call right
there in their room. And people usually have phones, if
knowledge is use our phone to call and say, hey,
you know, you know, do you have ten minutes? I
just kind of want to hear what you have to
(26:21):
say because the stories can be quite different, and we
just want to be able to take care of the
whole person, including their family, and really they are a unit.
And I can't take care of the parents well without
the caregiver or the children being involved, feeding the information
that I need to know that maybe omitted, or just
giving me insights into what the struggles really are at home.
Speaker 5 (26:43):
Yeah, and probably sometimes even on the flip side, the
struggle for the caregiver, because I'm sure it's a lot
to help an assist and care for mom and dad.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
You know, we've always called that age group the sandwich population.
The sandwich group. You know, you have the parents at home,
then you still have children, so you're just like the
sandwich in the middle.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Trying to figure it all out. Yeah, let's talk about
medication management. That seems like that would be a big
topic as we all age and just trying to keep
things straight. What would be your suggestions on how to
do that?
Speaker 4 (27:15):
Right, don't take any I'm just getting it's pretty difficult.
When my mother in law became older and to the
point that I discovered she wasn't taking her medications, which
it took a long time because I didn't know, she
didn't tell me, and she was completely with it.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
I think you just made one million people feel better
saying that doctor Pinson didn't know, because you can forgive
yourself that maybe. I mean, life is busy, you know,
and it can happen to anybody.
Speaker 4 (27:42):
There was even the professionals, even the professionals, and I
was there all the time too. That's the crazy thing
when I finally figured out, so I started putting her
medicines in you know, pill boxes, which did help her,
and it helped me too, because I could go back
there and flip them all open and see if she
took them. And then I will find that one day
will be taken, the next day will be missing. Then,
(28:02):
you know, so all sorts of things start showing up.
There are technologies now that you can put all the
medicines in this I don't know what to call it,
this machine and actually reminds the person it's nine o'clock.
It's time to take your nine o'clock medication. Then they
will go over there and do it. There are technologies
gonna help us a lot. I tell you, Managing someone's
(28:24):
you know, twenty some sorts of medications is a nightmare.
I had a really hard time filling our boxes the
first few times. I always thought was to pull my
hair out.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
It is almost like a two person job to make
sure it's done right sometimes and for my data. I
sometimes will sit down with them and just kind of
take a peek. But they have one of those automated
pill boxes and it actually has lights and flashes and
rotates and its streaming at them until they till over
and actually it has that sixation the medicine is out.
(28:56):
So that's been super helpful for us.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Absolutely, and this these lock too, so like they can't
do it, they can't empty yeah unless yeah yeah, And for.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
People to have a little bit of memory issues is
really a problem. I mean, did I take it? Did
I not? If you don't have it in the mean,
I recently start taking medications, and I tell you what,
there are days I'm driving to work, I'm thinking, hmmm,
did I do it? Did I not?
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I don't remember? We think about it, do it?
Speaker 4 (29:21):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (29:22):
Exact?
Speaker 2 (29:22):
And my everybody's so busy. I think, no matter what
age you are saying, it's it's easy to lose track
of did I do that or not or not?
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Now, I do wonder when you are getting to an
age where you might be forgetting things a little more,
are there scans that you can do pre scans for
your brain to see if maybe you are at a
higher risk for dementia or I mean, I'm sure if
you had any type of family history, does that play
into it as well?
Speaker 4 (29:48):
All of them, all of the above, we don't really
pre scan you know, the way medical care is delivered
these days is mostly by symptoms. So if you say, oh,
my father had dementia, fre I will have it. Can
you scan my brain? I mean conventionally, there really isn't
anything like that that can be done when we can
test you and keep monitoring you, keep screening you for
(30:09):
these type of things and teach you what to watch for.
But there isn't anything like that pre skin. But it's
pretty common if you have some kind of vascular disease risk.
I always say, you know, your your brain is just
like your heart's heart. What's heart healthy, it's also brain healthy.
You know, you hear a lot about heart healthy diet.
(30:31):
You know, lower your cholesterol, don't smoke, lower your blood pressure,
control your diabetes, you know, not your bees, exercise, All
those things are also healthy for your brain. So if
you have diabetes, you have blood pressure, you have cholesterol issue,
chances are you could have vascular dementia, which is a
type of dementia later on your life. So that is
(30:52):
a risk factor. So what do you do? You modify
those by taking medications, exercising and listening to your doctor
and listen to your spouse well your kids to get
healthier and then decrease your chance of having this type
of mansion symptoms later.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
I think one thing that I'd be interested in knowing
more about is what are your thoughts about socialization community
like community and groups and not isolating ones. I feel
like my grandparents were very much like wanted to stay
at home, wanted to be by themselves, and when one
passed the other one didn't want people around, and so
we saw a decline pretty rapidly. So how important is
(31:31):
staying not only active but involved as much as they can.
Speaker 4 (31:36):
Yeah, you know, human beings are designed to be together, socialized,
and that's our thing. Socialization is very important. But what
you are saying is me I see that a lot too,
when one gets a little bit harder to get out
and sometimes their friends passed away before they did, and
there's less friends, and you tend to somehow start isolating.
Maybe not mean to, but it's just more comfortable that way,
(31:58):
perhaps because it does take up to get out sometimes
and find the right kind of people you actually want
to hang out with. But socialization is very important. It
really keeps your mind sharp and conversations are very important
to have, and you know, keep out with the news
and talk about football and craft together. Those are very
good and that's why sometimes people actually do better in
(32:18):
the environment where there's more socialization. There are definitely people
moving into retirement communities when they're hardly you know, aging,
but they want to be there because they know that
if they don't then they will be limited in how
much socialization they will do. So they go there so
they can hang out with their friends. They have all
kinds of activities. They take bus trips, coding club in
(32:38):
whatever it is to keep going. So that's what I
encourage people to do. I mean, it may seem difficult
to do, but do it. People like senior centers. They're
very good in email adult daycare. They're good with people
with cognitive deficits because their activities are designed for them.
They're more appropriate for their brain. And I recently had
(32:58):
the patient that started there. He was living with his
son and they are very attentive children, their grandchildren, but
the son decided that really needs like to socialize with
people of his own age, and he did it, and
he's made a completely turnaround. He's so much better mentally,
he's happier, he's he's sharper, he walks better. He's I
(33:19):
love it, he says. Three times a week. I get
to stay for a hours and I've met all his
friends and they're teaching him how to play table games
that he's never played before. Me. This guy worked his
whole life, never played, so he's like doing all these things,
and I just I was so touched.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
It's so sweet, like a whole new life for him.
Speaker 4 (33:36):
His a whole new life.
Speaker 5 (33:37):
That's amazing, love.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Said the Barbersville Senior Center. I can't wait. I get
the newsletter every month and I see everything that is. Yes.
We go on trips to them all. They also go
on to see they go, they have typing class, they
guilt in class. I wait to be a member of Yes.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
I mean, that's the encouraging thing that you want to
hear when you talk about getting older. Everybody is like
the want want, But like I said, there are a
lot of wonderful things about it, and you can do
things to make your experience the best possibly you can be.
Because we can't not age, that's not an option. We
can't hit that button, so we're all doing it.
Speaker 4 (34:12):
I think my patient always says, well, what's the alternative?
It's death? If we don't age.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
I'll choose a thanks exactly, We'll choose agent, doctor Pinson.
Speaker 5 (34:24):
What are you most looking forward to with with joining
us next door at the Peerage complex.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
I'm very excited because there are already systems set in
place so take care of senior as well. I just
had a meeting with some of the folks there, and
I think with the coordinative care that already exists and
the staff I've met are so nice, we will do
very well in serve this community. We already have like
a bunch of people on the on the spreasheet waiting
(34:51):
to be scheduled and seeing. Yeah, I'm looking forward to
services community in that capacity and to have such good
support lobby health.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Well, I got to tell you, all the physicians and
providers I've met here at Valley Health so far have
been very open, very honest, very easy to talk to.
And that is absolutely you. You have answered any question
that we've thrown at you. But also it's just you
talk to us in a conversation, you know. I think
that's what a lot of people they might, you know,
not be so open with their doctors because it just
(35:23):
feels like a doctor patient relationship whereas you made it
seem like, Oh, I just want to know about you,
what's going.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
On in your living room? Bring me some iced tea.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
We'll have it for you next time.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
Yeah, thanks for the doctor.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
Probably never a problem, good idea.
Speaker 3 (35:41):
Okay, Well, I do believe that's all that we had
for you today, Doctor Cindy Pinson, the Section chief of
Senior Care Valley Health Center for Senior Wellness. We really
appreciate you sitting down and talking with us today, and
we look forward to everything you're going to be doing.
We might even have you back later in life.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
If that's all. It was my pleasure, sure, and I
really enjoyed it. Yeah, I'll see you back.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Wonderful, doctor Pinson.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
That is great. All right, Well, my Valley girls, just
Staples hello, and Melanie Atkins.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Have a great day.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Everybody.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
Don't forget aging is good. It's the better option. That's right.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
You want to age. There's several people, sadly that don't
get the opportunities.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
Right, that's right, So we should let's do it gracefully,
shall we.
Speaker 3 (36:22):
Yes, let's do it gracefully, and we will be talking
with you again very soon on TMI. Talking Medical Information
with Valley Health. We'll see you next time.
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