Your mom, an independent individualist for most of her 72 years, has never had much need for medical care. Heck, she only gave in to glasses in her sixties! But now, after a stroke, plus osteoporosis that led to a broken hip, she’s not the healthy young adventurer she used to be. She’s getting forgetful, and she’s unwilling to leave the house.

A home health aide sees to many of her needs, and she has “Health Watch,” a monitoring device that lets her call for help if she falls or has an emergency. (For more information, see box below.)

She also needs medical care. But how can she keep doctor appointments when she can’t leave her home?

Here’s the good news: With Bridgeport Hospital’s Geriatric Home Visit Group, house calls are back! The Geriatric Home Visit Group can become the primary care provider for patients like your mom, who are 65 or older and who, for physical or psychological reasons, cannot leave the house. (This means that your mother’s medical records will be transferred from her present primary care doctor to the Geriatric Home Visit Group.)

Home visit services include an initial physical, mental and emotional examination, and ongoing follow-up visits by a geriatrician (a physician specializing in medical care for older adults) or a geriatric nurse practitioner. Services are covered by Medicare and most private insurers.

If your mother needs to go to the hospital at any point, Bridgeport Hospital will provide treatment.

And if she ever needs to move to a nursing home or an assisted living facility, the Geriatric Home Visit Group makes house calls at many of the facilities in the greater Bridgeport area.