{"id":643360,"date":"2023-04-30T20:06:17","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T01:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/30\/whats-next-in-health-care-for-older-adults-questions-and-answers-with-john-whyte-md\/"},"modified":"2023-04-30T20:06:17","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T01:06:17","slug":"whats-next-in-health-care-for-older-adults-questions-and-answers-with-john-whyte-md","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/30\/whats-next-in-health-care-for-older-adults-questions-and-answers-with-john-whyte-md\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Next in Health Care for Older Adults: Questions and Answers With John Whyte, MD"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As WebMD\u2019s chief medical officer, John Whyte, MD, is in a unique position to see both the current state of medical care for America\u2019s older adults and the way things are trending for the future. We asked him to share his insight on a few topics, along with a bit of advice.<\/p>\n

WebMD:<\/strong> What are some of the biggest access to health care issues facing older adults today?<\/p>\n

JW:<\/strong> Cost, transportation, and quality of care remain some of the biggest issues when it comes to health care for older adults.\u00a0Medicare doesn\u2019t cover 100% of costs, and many patients struggle to pay for their prescriptions and doctor bills.\u00a0As a result, sometimes they don\u2019t go to the doctor as often as they need to, and often they can\u2019t refill their prescriptions.\u00a0Lack of adequate transportation has made it difficult for many older adults to receive care — they simply can\u2019t get to their appointments. As older adults develop more health conditions and their time with the doctor gets shorter and shorter, it can be difficult to address all their health care needs.\u00a0As a result, it can be hard to keep conditions like diabetes and blood pressure under control.<\/p>\n

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WebMD:<\/strong> How will technology change the way older adults access health care within the next decade?<\/p>\n

JW:<\/strong> Everyone, including older adults, needs to become more tech-savvy when engaging with the health care system.\u00a0Digital tools, such as sensors and trackers, are becoming more useful in managing those conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure, that short office visits don\u2019t always give us time to address. Virtual reality tools will also become more widespread.\u00a0Given that many people didn\u2019t grow up with these types of technologies, it might make access to health care more difficult for some groups.\u00a0We need to make sure everyone — especially older adults — has access to innovations that will improve their experience with the health care system and lead to better outcomes.<\/p>\n

WebMD:<\/strong> How will COVID-19 change the nature of doctor-patient interaction?<\/p>\n

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JW:<\/strong> In the short-term, COVID-19 has had monumental impact on the doctor-patient relationship. Suddenly almost every visit turned into a virtual visit.\u00a0Unfortunately, in some circumstances, both the doctor and the patient weren\u2019t adequately prepared for this abrupt change. Many people were left out completely or received less than optimal care. But the news isn\u2019t all bad. For others, it was a way to bring the doctor to them, instead of them having to go to the doctor.\u00a0Technology can help us solve some of those transportation issues I referred to above. As we move into \u201cthe new normal,\u201d I think the majority of doctor visits will be in-person, but telehealth will play a much larger role. I also think we\u2019ll see more services delivered directly in the home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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WebMD:<\/strong> What\u2019s the No. 1 piece of advice you\u2019d give to a patient or caregiver about how to successfully interact with the health care system?<\/p>\n

JW:<\/strong> Whether you\u2019re a self-advocate or caring for someone else, a successful interaction with the health care system requires persistence.\u00a0We all know the phrase, \u201cthe squeaky wheel gets the grease.\u201d\u00a0Sometimes you have to be a that squeaky wheel.\u00a0The health care system can be very challenging to navigate.\u00a0There are a lot of regulations than can impact your access to care, and they can be confusing.\u00a0Sometimes your technique doesn\u2019t work the first time. So you need to keep at it when accessing certain services, and you need to speak up.\u00a0There\u2019s also an interesting dynamic with older adults when it comes to health care: They often say they don\u2019t want to bother their doctor, or they want to be a \u201cgood patient.\u201d\u00a0We have to help them understand that being a good patient or a good advocate for someone else means getting what you need to make sure you get quality care.<\/p>\n

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WebMD:<\/strong> If you were talking to a loved one over 70, what\u2019s the No. 1 piece of health care advice you would give them with regard to taking care of themselves?<\/p>\n

JW:<\/strong> It\u2019s never too late to reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. If you smoke, quit. If you aren\u2019t physically active, start slowly — even if it means simply not sitting as much throughout\u00a0the day.\u00a0Being active doesn\u2019t mean having to go to the gym.\u00a0There\u2019s a lot you can do at home. Take a look at what you\u2019re eating and start to treat food as medicine. It can be as powerful as a prescription drug — and in some cases, it may help you get rid of a few drugs you\u2019re taking. Finally, listen to your body. When you don\u2019t feel good, check in with your doctor.<\/p>\n

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\n Tyisha Schroeder<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As WebMD\u2019s chief medical officer, John Whyte, MD, is in a unique position to see both the current state of medical care for America\u2019s older adults and the way things are trending for the future. We asked him to share his insight on a few topics, along with a bit of advice.WebMD: What are some<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":643361,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[267,947],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-643360","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"category-whats"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=643360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/643361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=643360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=643360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=643360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}