Most Thursday mornings, 83-year-old Lucille Gelman has one thing on her mind — getting her blood pressure checked.
For many seniors in San Francisco, the very thought of navigating a trip to the doctor would be enough to bring on a case of hypertension. But for Gelman and others at Menorah Park, the task is much less stressful because of an on-site health center at the senior residential complex.
The Health Center at Menorah Park, which in the last year logged more than 500 patient visits, is primarily funded by the Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropies Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund of the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation.
“It’s the most wonderful thing that’s ever happened here,” said Gelman, who’s lived at Menorah Park on Sacramento Street for 12 years. “It’s so easy.”
The center is operated by the Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Program of the UCSF School of Nursing. Open three hours each Thursday morning, the center offers Menorah Park’s nearly 200 residents free health services such as flu shots, ear and foot care, blood pressure and blood sugar tests, and standard injections.
Also, residents can get counseling on diet, stress management, and vitamins and supplements.
Special programs are offered, too, such as cancer screenings and safety checks for canes and walkers.
“People who live here are thrilled that we are right here on the site,” said Carole Deitrich, director of the Geriatric Nurse Practitioners Program. “It saves them unnecessary, time-consuming and expensive trips to see a doctor. People here find that valuable.”
Residents can visit the clinic on Thursday mornings. In the afternoons, Deitrich goes to the apartments of residents who are less mobile or prefer not to visit the center.
While the center is not a substitute for doctor visits, Deitrich said it is valuable for providing less-than-urgent care and counseling.
“For older people, it’s great to have someone on the premises who can tell us when it’s time to go see a doctor or yell at us to remind us to take our cough medicine,” said Elinore Dusedau, 73, a Menorah Park resident who often visits the center to check her blood pressure and weight.
Residents also speak of the center’s non-medical benefits.
“People get to know each other just by going there,” Gelman said. “We sit and talk to each other and friendships are made. It’s really nice.”