For Linda and Fred Hitchcock, working with the Flathead’s senior citizens is a continuation of their long careers improving geriatric care in the United States.

Linda, a geriatrician, and her husband, Fred, have started the North Valley Geriatric Specialty Service in Whitefish to assist the underserved seniors in Northwest Montana. It is part of North Valley Hospital’s outreach to seniors.

The hospital, citing the aging demographics of Whitefish and surrounding areas, saw a need for seniors to receive special care for individual needs.

“Our program is about developing geriatrics in the community for NVH,” Linda said. “We do an assessment that is a full evaluation regarding physical therapy, pharmaceuticals, nutrition and social services.”

This first assessment takes more than three hours. Hitchcock is thorough, asking about family history, medical issues, diet and lifestyle choices.

A second day is a medical evaluation to pinpoint problems or limitations. A third day is a meeting with interdisciplinary professionals to design a plan for the seniors.

“A geriatrician is the only horizontal specialist in medicine,” Fred said. “A senior could go to a lung doctor or a heart doctor. Or they could go to a geriatrician, which kind of gets it all.”

A comparison could be to a veterinarian, who must have approximate knowledge of many different things when dealing with their patients. The Hitchcocks, who generally deal with less furry patients than vets, have to know enough about a senior’s body and mind to provide in-depth help.

The North Valley Geriatric Specialty Services opened their doors to the public Monday, Jan. 27, and saw a patient the same day.

“Generally the seniors would be referred to us by their primary doctor,” Linda said. “But they can contact the clinic themselves as long as they have a doctor we can contact.”

The severe lack of geriatricians in the United States — especially noticeable in an aging state such as Montana — exists for several reasons. 

“It’s not a beautiful specialty,” Linda said. “You have to have a love for all the various things you are responsible for. You also have to have a lot of patience. Not a lot of people do it when they are young, as it is very complex.”

Hitchcock said things a geriatrician deals with daily, such as chronic disease and pain management, can be trying for younger doctors who prefer to work on larger, more-exciting procedures, or on patients with fewer needs. Health issues among older adults can be complex and time-consuming for doctors.

The Hitchcocks moved to the Flathead in November from Temple, Texas, and southern Illinois before that. In both of those locations, Linda was responsible for getting geriatric programs off the ground and running smoothly. Fred has been the program director and business administrator for his wife’s practices for years.

Seniors interested in the services the Hitchcocks offer can ask their primary physician or contact the clinic at 862-1030.