No two people age alike. Some of us feel like the proverbial “spring chicken” despite advancing age while others feel like we’ve hit a wall well before we consider ourselves “old.” In essence, there can be no hard and fast rules about what should precisely happen once you reach a specific age. It very much has to do with your “chronological age” versus your “biological age.”

And that also holds true with the type of health care providers you seek out. Some of us rarely go to a doctor until late in life while others seem to have a variety of appointments every week. If you fall into the latter category, and it seems like there’s a complex web of illness and impairment taking hold, it may be time for you to seek out a geriatrician.

The benefit of a good geriatrician in your life can be significant. He or she will have specialty training in the complex medical problems that can afflict older adults. While a geriatrician can deal with the intricacies and interactions of multiple medical problems, she can also step back and take a more holistic view of what’s important and what can be done to enhance and preserve your quality of life. For some good insights into what may trigger the need for a geriatrician and how that physician can manage and mediate your aging issues, take a look here and here.

So how do you find a good geriatrician? It’s not easy these days, especially given the nationwide shortage of geriatricians. But fortunately, the American Geriatrics Society’s Health In Aging Foundation has just made the search easier. Their website allows you to search by state, and in some cases, even by zip code, to find a Board-Certified geriatrician. So see what you can find by clicking here. You should also consider the advice of Better Health While Aging’s Dr.Leslie Kernisan, who casts a broader net for helping you find professionals with expertise in geriatric patient care. Read what she recommends here.