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Caring for Older Adults: Spotlight on Geriatrics


Caring for Older Adults: Spotlight on Geriatrics

When it comes to delivering quality care for older adults, the Division of Geriatrics within the Department of Internal Medicine is a resource for physicians and patients across University of Utah Health and the region. 

Geriatricians provide primary care through University of Utah Health’s Geriatric Patient-Centered Medical Home, which provides accessible, comprehensive, high-quality, coordinated care to promote older adults’ health and wellness.

Additionally, geriatricians are available to provide geriatric consults – notably for assessment of cognitive impairment and falls – co-management with primary providers, and Medicare annual wellness visits.

Geriatric Patient-Centered Medical Home

The University of Utah Health's Geriatric Patient-Centered Medical Home provides comprehensive, high-quality, and coordinated care for older adults. The medical home treats patients at a primary care clinic using an inter-professional team made up of geriatricians, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, care managers, and other relevant medical professionals.

We are available to provide primary care for all older adults (typically age 65 years and older), but our comprehensive team approach is best suited for those who are age 85 years and older. Our team is also specially skilled to care for older adults who may have functional or cognitive limitations or multiple, chronic medical conditions as well as the conditions listed below: 

  • Advance care planning
  • Balance problems
  • Bone loss (osteoporosis)
  • Changes in eating habits
  • Changes in memory
  • Constipation
  • Fatigue
  • Frequent falls
  • Loss of bladder control
  • Multiple medications (polypharmacy)
  • Problems getting around
  • The blues/prolonged sadness/depression
  • Trouble sleeping

Providers

We have recently added three new providers

Mike Farrell, IV, DO

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Dr. Farrell returns to Utah to establish his geriatric practice.  He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and completed his medical training at the Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine.  Following residency training in Family Medicine at College Medical Center (Long Beach, CA) he led a physician house call program in Orange County, CA. He completed his geriatric medicine fellowship training at the University of Utah. Dr. Farrell will be accepting new geriatric primary care patients in the Redstone Community Clinic in Park City. He will also be developing a new Division initiative in home based primary care.  

Kristin Hueftle, MD

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Dr. Hueftle is a Montana native and graduate of Montana State University. She completed her medical training at Creighton University and Internal Medicine training in our residency training program, prior to joining our Fellowship program. Dr. Hueftle will be accepting new primary care patients in the Geriatric Patient-Centered Medical Home clinic.  She is also part of the Division’s post-acute program where she cares for Utah Health patients receiving care after hospital discharge in selected skilled nursing facilities.

Natalie Sanders, DO

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Dr. Sanders completed her undergraduate medical education at the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona, CA. She subsequently graduated from the Internal Medicine Residency program from the University of Utah and was selected as a Chief Medical Resident. After practicing for three years as a General Internist with this same institution, Dr. Sanders formalized her training in geriatrics. Her current clinical practice is at the University of Utah Geriatrics Clinic where she has primary care and consultative patient care responsibilities. She has a specific interest in caring for geriatric patients with faint, fall, or frailty syndromes.

Additional Providers

We have Utah’s largest group of board certified geriatricians and geriatric nurse practitioners.

Florentino “Butch” Abueg, MD – Dr. Abueg is a board certified Internal Medicine physician with additional board certifications in Geriatrics and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Abueg is a available for primary and consultative care and sees patients in the Medical Home clinic and at South Jordan Health Center

Amber Barnes, APRN, DNP – Dr. Barnes is a board-certified Adult Nurse Practitioner specializing in Geriatric Medicine.  She is available for primary care and sees patients at the Medical Home clinic.

Kip DeWeese, APRN – Mr. DeWeese is a board-certified Gerontological Nurse Practitioner specializing in Geriatric Medicine.  He is available for primary care and sees patients at the Medical Home clinic.

Timothy Farrell, MD – Dr. Farrell is a board-certified Family Practice physician with an additional certification in Geriatric Medicine.  He is available for primary and consultative care and sees patients at the Medical Home clinic.

Frederick Gottlieb, MD, MPH – Dr. Gottlieb is board-certified in Internal Medicine as well as Geriatric Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Care. He specializes in maintaining wellness and independence for older adults.  He is available for primary care and sees patients at the Medical Home clinic.

Alison Schlisman, MD – Dr. Schlisman is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician with an additional certification in Geriatric Medicine.  She is available for primary care and sees patients at the Medical Home clinic.

Michelle Keown Sorweid, DO, MPH – Dr. Sorweid is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics.  She specializes in the evaluation and treatment of cognitive disorders in older adults.  She is available for primary care and consultative services with a focus on cognitive assessment at the Medical Home clinic.

Mark A. Supiano, MD – Dr. Supiano is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician with an additional certification in Geriatric Medicine.  He specializes in providing comprehensive geriatric assessment consultations with a particular emphasis in hypertension.  He is available for consultative and primary care services at the Medical Home clinic.


Locations

Geriatric Care Clinic is located in the Madsen Health Center.

Additionaly, Dr. Abueg sees patients in the South Jordan Health Center and Dr. Mike Farrell will be seeing geriatric patients in the Redstone Health Center in Park City.