Online Geriatric Psychiatry for Lakeland, FL residents

Yes, at our Wesley Chapel office, about 45 minutes from central Lakeland outside rush hour, where Margot Krahn, PMHNP-BC, sees older adults. Geriatric psychiatry is not offered in person in Lakeland itself. Every visit can be done by secure Florida telehealth instead, which is how most Lakeland families choose to be seen; some make the trip to Wesley Chapel only for the first hour.

It could be dementia, depression, a medication effect, or more than one at once. Depression in older adults can cause real memory and concentration problems that ease once it is treated, which dementia does not do. Margot screens memory, treats the depression, anxiety, sleep problems or agitation that so often come with dementia or Alzheimer's, and goes through the medication list. For the diagnosis itself, she can refer to neurology, a memory clinic, or a neurocognitive evaluation with Dr. Richard M. Marshall, Ed.D., Ph.D., at our Lakeland office.

Not necessarily. Patients join from an adult child's home or a public library, and once someone is an established patient, follow-up visits can be conducted by voice only. Tell the coordinator when you call and we will find a route that actually works from where you live.

Yes, with his written consent. The primary care office receives a note after the intake and after every medication change, and we request recent labs before adjusting anything where kidney or liver function matters.

About 45 minutes and 41.7 miles from central Lakeland, on I-4 W and I-75 N, measured outside rush hour. Video is a full alternative for every visit, and most Lakeland families use it: the evaluation, the medication review and the follow-ups all work by secure video from home. Some families make the drive once so the first hour is face to face, then switch to video for follow-ups.

Yes, with the patient's permission, and we would encourage it. With older adults, someone who knows the day to day makes the evaluation more accurate and makes follow-through on any medication change considerably more reliable.

We work with many major commercial plans and offer self-pay options. Coverage varies by plan and service. Our team will confirm with you. Insurance questions go to our care team, who confirm your coverage with you before your first visit. Call (813) 670-3005 to reach them before you book.

Usually close to home. When a result such as thyroid, B12 or kidney function matters before a medication decision, Quest and Labcorp each have a patient service center on Lakeland Hills Blvd in north Lakeland. Often the quicker route is the bloodwork his own doctor already has: with his written consent we request those results first, so a new needle stick may not be needed at all. Bring any recent lab printouts to the first video visit.

Start with Senior Connection Center, the Area Agency on Aging for Polk, or the Florida Elder Helpline at 1-800-96-ELDER, which can connect you with it. Ask what in-home help and caregiver support are available where she lives. NAMI Polk County is there for you as a family member. Our part is her psychiatric care by video, and with her permission we will tell you plainly what we are seeing and what would make the plan easier to carry out. If you want support for yourself, our therapists see adults by video across Florida and in person at our Lakeland office.

Sometimes hearing a neighbor say it first helps. The Florida Department of Health in Polk County points residents to #WhenYouKnow, a Polk effort to reduce mental health stigma through people sharing their own lived experience. Some older men find it easier to agree to one video visit framed around sleep, memory or a medication question than one framed around depression. That is a fair way in, and the first appointment covers all of it.

Here in town. Dr. Richard M. Marshall, Ed.D., Ph.D., a psychologist with Ascend Mind and Body, does neurocognitive evaluations for older adults with questions about memory and thinking at our Lakeland office. Some intake and feedback steps can happen by video, depending on the evaluation. Testing does not replace a medical workup, so her own doctor or a neurologist may still order bloodwork or imaging. Margot can use the results to shape her treatment by video.

It is a 60-minute evaluation, usually by video. Margot goes through every medication and supplement with the bottles on camera, then asks about mood, sleep, appetite, falls, recent losses and when the changes began, and screens memory when the history points that way. A relative who knows the day to day is welcome with your parent's consent. You finish with a plan: what she thinks is going on, what may change, which labs to request from the family doctor, and when you will talk next.