Voices of Arizona is a special segment where we shine a spotlight on everyday Arizonans who help make our state an extraordinary place to live. In this installment, meet a doctor whose deep connection to older adults began long before medical school.
"So, starting at a very young age, I felt drawn to the elderly population, said Dr. Erica Grabinski, an internal medicine physician with Optum Primary Care in Scottsdale.
"Beginning as early as high school, I found myself volunteering at assisted living facilities, spending my summer afternoons with people with memory care issues."
Her passion to care for this population grew even stronger in college, when her grandfather was diagnosed with dementia.
"So, I got to see basically every stage of the illness along the way, watching his mannerisms change, his personality change, watching my family deal with all of the consequences of his illness," she said.
Grabinski primarily treats patients over the age of 65, but she isn’t a certified geriatrician — there are roughly 100 of them in the entire state.
"So, to become a specific geriatrician is just one additional year of fellowship post-residency, she said.
Grabinski said she considered it, then "decided to jump in [and] get my feet wet."
These days, she sees patients with multiple health issues, like diabetes and heart failure.
"I have actually been getting a lot more memory care patients," Grabinski said.
And here's where her personal experience comes in.
"I think I'm just a little bit quicker to start the conversation and engage in the conversation," Grabinski said.
She aims to give families what hers didn’t have: the gift of support, knowledge and resources.
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