In the month of New Year’s resolutions and ambitious goals for the year, many Central Florida residents seek to take control of their health. This is definitely true for seniors.
In fact, Nova Southeastern University released information on a study about older people with complex health issues in last month’s edition of The Qualitative Report. The researchers found that the largest group of seniors interviewed, 33 percent, expressed the desire for a change in their health status. Local physician Dr. Srinivasan Pillai says that seniors can take purposeful steps to improve their health in 2010.
Since opening Kirkman Medical Center last March, Pillai has provided high-quality health care to both Orlando residents and visitors. From immunizations to screenings to treating non-life threatening illnesses, Pillai and his staff offer compassionate care in their state-of-the-art facility.
Pillai serves about 40 to 50 patients per week at Kirkman Medical Center. Many of his patients are senior citizens receiving Medicare benefits. Pillai recommends that seniors take three basic steps to take charge of their health in the new year.
1. Believe in the power of prevention. “Never think that all diseases are simply consequences of age,” Pillai said. “Many diseases are preventable. Even if you are diagnosed with a specific condition, you can still take steps to prevent associated complications.”
2. Take advantage of annual health screenings. “Medicare has excellent screening recommendations that seniors should follow,” Pillai said. “These include cardiovascular, colon cancer, diabetes, cervical, prostate, breast and bone mineral screenings.”
3. Ask questions to get educated about your health. Pillai strongly advocates patient education. “I ask the patient questions and answer any questions he or she may have. I try to ask the patient how he or she would like to handle the situation, whether it be through prescription medication, exercise, diet, etc,” Pillai said. “Education can truly change things. Hospital care drives up healthcare costs, and if we can keep people out of hospitals, costs will go down and families and seniors will fare better.”
Kirkman Medical Center is presently accepting Medicare HMO patients from Humana, WellCare and Freedom Health. In addition, the center will soon be accepting Medicare HMO patients from Physicians United Plan (PUP) and Universal Health Care.
Kirkman Medical Center is located at 882 S. Kirkman Road, Suite 108 A, in Orlando. Prospective patients may receive more information by stopping by the clinic Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., calling the clinic at (407) 298-4045, or visiting the Web site at www.kirkmanmedicalcenter.com.
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