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Truth is, elderly patients often don’t tell the truth about the physical problems they develop, especially in certain areas, said Dr. Thomas Loepfe.
“The elderly are afraid to mention their falls because they think they will end up in a nursing home, which is not true,” said Loepfe, a Franciscan Skemp physician specializing in geriatric medicine. “And they are often embarrassed to talk about incontinence.”
Loepfe hopes Franciscan Skemp’s participation in a national research project that focuses on those two problems — falls and urinary incontinence — will help improve care, prevention and treatment options for the elderly.
Franciscan Skemp is among only five health care systems in the U.S., and the only one in the Midwest, participating in a three-year clinical practice quality improvement pilot project sponsored by the American College of Physicians and the RAND Corporation.
Dr. David Reuben, chief of the geriatrics division at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, was in La Crosse on Wednesday training some Franciscan Skemp physicians. As part of the study, another group of physicians won’t receive the training.
Reuben said one-third of elderly fall, with 8 percent to 10 percent injured and another 1 percent cracking a hip.
“This project is aimed at helping physicians help their patients prevent falls and receive medical care, as well as patients getting treatment for urinary incontinence,” he said. “There are lot of things physicians can do in these areas.”
The project will help physicians redesign their practices to meet elderly needs, Reuben said. Patients who are 75 or older will participate if they experience urinary incontinence or at risk for falling.
Reuben said the project will use a questionnaire to ask elderly patients about falls and urinary incontinence, then physicians will discuss prevention and treatment with patients.
“We’re putting in place a systematic approach,” Reuben said, “so if a problem is bothersome, physicians will know and then they can do something about it.”
Terri Pedace, Franciscan Skemp research operations supervisor, said the project is another way to improve quality of care for the most vulnerable patients.
“Elderly are often dealing with these problems on their own, and this project addresses these issues in a pro-active way. It could prevent injury and hospitalization,” Pedace said.
Terry Rindfleisch can be reached at trindfleisch@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8227.
