Photo by John Wagner and Steve Henke
To whom would you send your loved ones for medical care? We asked that question of 5,000 local doctors and nurses. Here are the specialists they recommend.
January 2009
By Sarah Howard
 Photography by John Wagner and Steve Henke |
| Thomas von Sternberg, MD |
Geriatrics
Thomas von Sternberg
HealthPartners
Other Work: Medical director of Ebenezer Nursing Home; medical director of HealthPartners geriatrics and home and hospice care departments
Medical School: Ohio State University–Columbus
Residency: University of Minnesota; trained at Westminster Medical School in London
Family: Wife, two sons
Home: Minneapolis
Hobbies: Listening to and enjoying music.
What do you like about working with seniors?
Geriatrics emphasizes increasing a patient’s function. It ends up being a partnership, and I can act as a guide. Each patient is jam-packed with complexity, challenge, and new experiences. It also involves a family. Seniors have other people that you need to include, consider, and involve.
Is geriatrics based on age?
It’s not based on age, but by complexity and function. When multiple medical conditions are combined with natural aging, it results in big challenges for seniors remaining independent.
Are you seeing increased need?
Our aging population will definitely increase the demand for geriatric care, but what we’re seeing now is that the number of individuals over eight-five is increasing. The struggle is that the system is not geared to the needs of an aging population.
How do you deal with nursing home stigmas?
Long-term, institutional nursing home care is not the desired destination for anybody. The goal for all of us is independent living as long as possible, either in our own home or in assisted-living. Many nursing home beds in Minnesota have been replaced by assisted-living and home care.
When do you recommend nursing home care?
Some patients need long-term care because their medical conditions, functional ability, and cognition all mean that they need full-time support.
What’s it like working with an aging population?
It is difficult to watch people lose independence. The gift is seeing how this aging population makes the adjustments. It’s a blessing to be part of that phase of a patient and family’s life.
© 2009 MSP Communications, Inc. All rights reserved