A common feature of getting older is the presence of one or more chronic medical conditions. It goes with the territory. For many of us, our chronic diseases become like the friends we love to hate: they are familiar, they cause us grief, and we love to talk about them in social settings.

Some chronic diseases have symptoms that are a daily struggle – such as osteoarthritis or chronic lung disease. Other chronic diseases are largely symptom-less – such as diabetes or kidney failure. Many older people experience more than once chronic disease and we often see clusters of chronic diseases that are interconnected – such as ischaemic heart disease, obesity, diabetes and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. If a patient has one of these, they are likely to have one or more of the others.

Regardless of your experience with your chronic disease, these should be monitored and managed by your GP. This could mean regular blood tests, referral to non-GP specialists, involvement of allied health, regular eye checks, or regular monitoring of blood pressure or weight. The management of chronic disease should not be a passive process – it involves energy from the patient also. This could mean having a daily exercise routine, eating well, sticking to the recommended level of alcohol consumption and taking responsibility to learn about the condition.

The government supports the management of chronic conditions through what is commonly called the “Care Plan”. This is a special MBS item number that can be used 3-4 times per year. As part of this plan, you can also have subsidised visits to see allied health providers – such as podiatrist, physiotherapists etc.

Every four months, I work with my patients to produce a document which summarises the goals and actions for each chronic disease. This document also includes all recent bloods, observations, and non-GP specialists. I’ve had patients so thankful for having this summary of their medical conditions on hand when they are needing to go to hospital – they just grab the Care Plan and go and the hospital has information that informs their care.

Do you take your chronic diseases seriously? Have you got a Care Plan? Talk to your GP today!