A male doctor talking with a female patient

Hospital Advocacy & Transition Services • Serving Nassau & Suffolk County

Expert Hospital Support & Safe Discharge Planning

Hospitalization is a high-stakes event for older adults. Geriatric Physician Consultants provides critical advocacy during the stay to prevent "hospital-acquired disability" and manages the transition home to ensure your loved one doesn't end up right back in the Emergency Room.

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What Is Geriatric Hospitalization Support?

Geriatric hospitalization support is a clinical intervention designed to reduce the loss of independent function that often occurs during an acute hospital stay. By focusing on "functional review", ensuring patients mobilize early, and managing complex drug interactions, a geriatrician mitigates risks like delirium and muscle atrophy. This service includes strategic discharge planning, where the physician acts as a bridge between the hospital team and the patient’s home to ensure a safe, sustainable recovery.

A male doctor and his female patient smiling

Why You Need an Advocate in the Hospital

The hospital environment can be dangerous for seniors. A consultation with Dr. Desire is vital if you are facing:

Rapid Functional Decline:

Up to 35% of seniors lose daily function (like walking or eating) during a hospital stay. We intervene to prevent this "hospital-acquired disability."

Hospital-Induced Delirium:

Sudden confusion or hallucinations in the hospital are common but serious. We specialize in preventing and treating this to avoid permanent cognitive loss.

"Quicker and Sicker" Discharges:

If you feel the hospital is rushing to discharge your loved one before they are ready due to insurance pressures, we act as a medical advocate for a safe plan.

Disputes on Capacity:

If there is a disagreement about whether your parent can safely live alone after discharge, we provide expert capacity evaluations to settle the decision medically.

How We Secure a Safe Recovery

Delirium Mitigation

We implement protocols to prevent and treat hospital-induced delirium, ensuring that a temporary illness does not spiral into long-term cognitive impairment.

Medication Safety

We manage "polypharmacy" during admission, adjusting medications to prevent adverse interactions or side effects like dizziness that often lead to hospital falls.

Reducing Readmissions

Patients seen by geriatric transition services have shown a significant reduction in 30-day readmissions. We ensure the "warm handoff" home is seamless.

Goal-Aligned Transitions

We prioritize "what matters most" to the patient, often returning home rather than to a facility. We coordinate the necessary home equipment and support to make this possible.

Dr. Nathanael Desire from GPC Consultants

Advocacy Against the System

In an era where hospitals are pressured to discharge patients as quickly as possible, Geriatric Physician Consultants acts as your shield. We refuse to accept "quicker and sicker" discharges. Dr. Nathanael Desire coordinates with social workers, therapists, and pharmacists to ensure that when your loved one leaves the hospital, they are actually ready. We verify that home equipment (like hospital beds or oxygen) is in place and that the primary care doctor is fully briefed, closing the gaps where medical errors usually happen.

Navigating Long Island's Healthcare Systems

Whether your loved one is at a major hospital in Nassau or a community center in Suffolk, we understand the local landscape. We help you identify safe community-based alternatives to hospitalization when possible and navigate the specific discharge protocols of local institutions.

Common Questions About Discharge Planning

1. Can you help if my parent is already being discharged tomorrow?

We can try. Immediate intervention is often needed to stop an unsafe discharge. We can perform a rapid assessment to determine if the discharge plan is medically sound and advocate for more time or resources if it is not.

2. The hospital says my parent needs a nursing home, but they want to go home. Who decides?

This is a capacity issue. If your parent has the mental capacity to understand the risks, they have the right to choose. We perform "Capacity Evaluations" to determine if they are capable of making this decision, protecting their autonomy.

3. What is a "Warm Handoff"?

A warm handoff means we don't just hand you a stack of papers. We personally coordinate with the next care team, whether that's a home health aide or a rehab facility, to ensure they know the patient's specific needs and risks before they arrive.

Medical Consultations from GPC Consultants

Don't Let a Hospital Stay Become a Permanent Setback.

You have questions. Dr. Desire has answers. Claim your complimentary session today and get the clarity you need to move forward with confidence.