Geriatrics / 08.04.2026
Geriatric Care in Plano: Express Internal Medicine Is Bridging the Gap for Aging Patients
The United States is in the midst of a demographic shift that primary care medicine cannot afford to ignore. By 2034, adults aged 65 and older will outnumber children under 18 for the first time in American history — a milestone that carries profound implications for how we deliver outpatient care. In communities like Plano, Texas, where the population has grown rapidly over the past two decades and a significant percentage of long-term residents are now entering their senior years, the gap between what aging patients need and what the healthcare system routinely provides has never been more apparent.
At Express Internal Medicine, we have built our practice around closing that gap. As a geriatric care doctor in Plano, I see firsthand how aging patients are often passed between specialists without anyone coordinating the full picture: managing polypharmacy risks, monitoring for cognitive decline, addressing mobility and fall prevention, and taking the time to understand what a patient's life actually looks like outside of a clinical encounter. Internal medicine, practised well, is where that coordination belongs.
Dr. Orkaby[/caption]
Ariela Orkaby, MD, MPH
Geriatrics & Preventive Cardiology
Associate Epidemiologist
Division of Aging, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: As the population is living longer, there is increased risk of frailty and vulnerability. Frailty is defined as reduced physiological reserve and decreased ability to cope with even an acute stress. Up to half of adults over the age of 85 are living with frailty and preventative measures are greatly needed. We tested the effect of vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the risk of developing frailty in healthy older adults in the US enrolled in the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) trial.
Dr. Orkaby[/caption]
Ariela Orkaby, MD, MPH
Geriatrics & Preventive Cardiology
Associate Epidemiologist
Division of Aging, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: As the population is living longer, there is increased risk of frailty and vulnerability. Frailty is defined as reduced physiological reserve and decreased ability to cope with even an acute stress. Up to half of adults over the age of 85 are living with frailty and preventative measures are greatly needed. We tested the effect of vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the risk of developing frailty in healthy older adults in the US enrolled in the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) trial.
Dr. Jing Li[/caption]
Jing Li, PhD
Assistant Professor of Health Economics
The Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy and Economics (CHOICE) Institute
University of Washington School of Pharmacy
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Dementia and other cognitive impairment are highly prevalent among older adults in the U.S. and globally, and have been linked to deficiencies in decision-making, especially financial decision-making. However, little is known about the extent to which older adults with cognitive impairment manage their own finances and the characteristics of the assets they manage.