As Population Ages, Rheumatologists Prepare to Treat Elderly Patients with More Comorbidities

When talking with elderly patients who may have other caregivers present, make sure to address the patient and caregivers equally, Resnick advises.

If you are creating written materials geared toward elderly patients, use a larger, darker font with few visual distractions, Resnick recommends.

Finally, when possible, take a little more time to answer an elderly patient’s questions. “I recently spent extra time with an 88-year-old patient,” Dr. Altman says. “Unfortunately, I don’t get paid for that, but he appreciated the time. He said, ‘You haven’t stuck a needle in me, but somehow I feel better.’ ”

Vanessa Caceres is a freelance medical writer in Bradenton, Florida.