At OhioHealth, we provide a positive perspective to aging through healthcare and senior health support services as well as educational programs to help adults of any age learn the physical, psychological, spiritual and social aspects of healthy aging.

Columbus Facilities Providing Senior Health Services

A social worker can provide information about such senior health services as housing options, home delivered services, transportation, respite care services, counseling services and advanced directives as they relate to older adults.  We will put you in touch with the appropriate OhioHealth services or other community resources best suited to your needs – even if the older adult lives outside Ohio.  We provide the following services:

• AdvantAge health, wellness and education programs
• Comprehensive Geriatric Medical Consultation
• Balance and Mobility Clinic
• Other Medical Services

For more information, call the Gerlach Center at (614) 566-5858.

Comprehensive Geriatric Medical Consultation

Our multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, social workers and other specialized healthcare professionals can help sort through senior health and lifestyle concerns, such as those listed below, and provide guidance and support.

• Trouble managing familiar tasks
• Memory loss
• Issues with or questions about taking several different medications
• Complicated medical issues
• Changes in mood or behavior
• Unintentional weight loss
• More withdrawn and isolated – no joy in life
• Concerns with ability to live alone
• Changes in mobility or daily independent functioning

What to Expect

Our Geriatric Assessment Team, which includes a doctor who singpecializes in geriatric medicine, a registered nurse and a social worker, conducts an evaluation with a minimum of three appointments for issues specific to aging adults.

This thorough evaluation encompasses health and medication education, plus information about referrals to community resources.  The Geriatric Assessment Team works in partnership with your primary care physician (PCP) and will provide your physician with the evaluation results throughout the process.

The evaluation includes:

1. Interview assessment
2. Comprehensive medical assessment
3. Final Geriatric Assessment Team recommendations

During your first visit, you and your family will meet with one of our clinical social workers. This appointment will last about 90 minutes and will involve a discussion about your health history and current physical and emotional health concerns. 

Some screening tests will be completed.  The social worker will spend time with you, but also with family members who accompany you to determine how you are doing in day-to-day life and to provide you and your family with useful education and resources.  

At your second visit, one of our geriatricians, a physician specially trained in the healthcare needs of older adults, and a nurse will perform a physical examination and well as a medication review. If further testing is requested, such as lab work, pharmacy consult, or imaging, we will help you coordinate the necessary tests and appointments.

Your third visit, or family conference, will last about one hour and is scheduled for after the receipt of all testing results.  We will discuss our findings with you and offer recommendations during this conference. All of your results and recommendations will be sent to your doctor.

For more information and to schedule an appointment, call the Gerlach Center staff at (614) 566-5858. Before an appointment, you'll be asked to:

• Read the geriatric medical evaluation information letter
• Print and fill out the prescreen form
• Print and fill out the release of information form
• Mail the prescreen form and release of information form to:

Geriatric Assessment Team
John J. Gerlach Center for Senior Health
3724-A Olentangy River Road
Columbus, Ohio 43214 

Balance and Mobility Clinic at the John J. Gerlach Center for Senior Health

The Balance and Mobility Clinic provides a comprehensive evaluation and consultation to determine balance ability and your risk for falling. 

The evaluation can include specialized equilibrium tests for sensory and motor systems. The equipment used provides information about your balance in different conditions (on a hard surface, on a softer surface, eyes opened, eyes closed to simulate the darkness of getting up at night, etc.) 

The consultation includes customized treatment options and therapy recommendations for maximum benefit. The consultation also includes a home safety evaluation to offer you suggestions for decreasing your risk of falling in your home environment.

• Get more information about the Balance and Mobility Clinic (PDF).

Our Balance and Mobility Clinic is a part of OhioHealth's Falls Prevention Program, which provides recommendations to help individuals decrease their risk of falling and improve quality of life by increasing confidence in moving around safely.

• Get more information about the OhioHealth Falls Prevention Program (PDF).

Other Medical Services

A cognitive disorders consultation (Memory Disorders Clinic) and follow-up appointments are provided by neurologist  Douglas Scharré, MD, weekly.  To schedule with Dr. Scharré at the Gerlach Center, call (614) 566-5858.