Doctor Fangkhao | Dr Ornnitcha Thitithakul
a physician specialised in internal medicine of older people
Inspiration and philosophy in the working, emphasising the care of older people as a whole
The care of older people is therefore not merely the treatment of a disease, but is the raising of the quality of life and the capability in living life to the best. Dr Ornnitcha Thitithakul, or Doctor Fangkhao, an expert in the field of internal medicine of older people, emphasises the care of older people as a whole
The decision to become a physician of Doctor Fangkhao began from an event that turned her life around, namely the loss of a person in the family, which gave rise to the wish to come to understand "what has happened" and the desire to learn in order to care for people as completely as possible
Another driving force that made Doctor Fangkhao choose to continue studying in the field of internal medicine of older people, in order to care for them "as a whole", is that she found that she herself feels attached to and gets on with older people well, because she sees them as being like "teachers", or adults who have passed through a great deal of experience. Talking with older people is therefore not merely treatment, but knowledge and varied points of view in managing the problems of life are also received
"An older person can be a person who has a larger number for their age, but still have good health and good physical and mental well-being"
– Doctor Fangkhao
Doctor Fangkhao has spoken of what Thai people understand wrongly concerning older people, that an older person having symptoms or various diseases, such as a state of memory in decline, or a state of depression, is a normal matter in older people. But in truth these things are things that can be prevented and put right. Besides this, the goal in caring for older people is not merely holding on to the years, but making them able to live a good life with quality, from prevention and treatment through to restoration
The care of older people as a whole: planning life completely
The important principle of present-day internal medicine of older people is looking at the older person as "the overall picture of the whole person", not merely the repairing of the part that is broken or treating one organ at a time, but combining every dimension of life, so that they have the best quality of life
Care as a whole is the planning of life designed specifically for each older person, with the physician not being merely the one who gives orders, but performing the duty of being a guide and adviser together with the patient and the family, holding the goal of the patient as the main thing — what the older person wants and what they give importance to — so as to treat them so that the goals in their real living of life are achieved. Besides this, the real context of life, such as the environment, the condition of the house, and the situation in the family, must be brought in to be considered as well in designing the plan of care, because they are things that can affect the health and the encouragement of the older person directly
Besides care as a whole, Doctor Fangkhao has also explained further that the important heart of present-day internal medicine of older people is the change from treatment once illness has arisen (Reactive Care) to the approach of being "active" (Proactive Care), which means that the physician emphasises the searching for risk factors or hidden states, such as the risk of falling, or a state of malnutrition, in order to lay the foundation of health so that it is strong from early on, relying on technology as an important instrument in filling out this care that is as a whole and active, both the use of Telemedicine (telemedicine), seeing a physician more easily, without having to travel, for older people who have limitations in movement, in order to increase the convenience for older people to reach a physician from home, and the use of Data Analytics in order to process a large amount of health data accurately, making the physician able to design a programme of treatment and prevention of disease specific to the individual as suitably as possible
Doctor Fangkhao emphasises that good care of older people must rely on more than the science of medicine alone, but must push for coordination with other systems concerned, such as the private sector, the state sector, the work of architecture, and engineering, in order to create an environment that truly favours older people having a good quality of life
Good care of health and a sustainable quality of life must be cared for "completely", both the body and the mind, and without overlooking small matters, such as sleep, eating good food, and living together with the people in the family. And in caring for older people, the prevention of disease (Prevention) must come alongside restoration (Rehabilitation). This is what will lead to having the best quality of life