Fort Worth Family Medicine for Every Stage of Life | UNT Health
Your health care needs change as you move through life. The concerns you have in your 20s may look very different from the ones you have in your 40s, 60s or beyond. Having a primary care doctor in Fort Worth who can get to know you over time can help you stay on top of those changing needs.
UNT Health Clinical Practice Group offers family medicine for all ages, providing preventive care, common illnesses, chronic conditions and assistance with many of the health concerns that arise throughout different stages of life.
UNT Health’s Family Medicine clinic in Fort Worth can provide a consistent place to turn for routine care as well as unexpected health concerns.
What is Family Medicine?
Family medicine is primary care focused on caring for the whole person over time.
Rather than focusing on one specific organ, condition or age group, family medicine providers consider your overall health, medical history, lifestyle, family history and individual needs when providing care.
A family doctor in Fort Worth may help you:
- Stay up to date on preventive care and recommended screenings
- Manage chronic conditions
- Treat common illnesses and injuries
- Monitor health risks such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes
- Review medications
- Keep vaccinations up to date
- Address new or ongoing symptoms
- Coordinate care with specialists when needed
- Develop a long-term plan for maintaining your health
Because family medicine providers care for patients over time, they can also become familiar with your health history and how your needs have changed.
Family Medicine Through Every Stage of Life
One of the unique aspects of family medicine is the breadth of care it provides. Your health needs don't stay the same throughout your life, and your primary care should be able to adapt with you.
Young Adults: Establishing a Foundation for Health
For many young adults, establishing a relationship with a primary care provider is an important first step toward managing their own health.
As you transition into adulthood, your family medicine provider can help you:
- Establish a baseline for your health
- Stay current on recommended vaccinations
- Monitor blood pressure, cholesterol and other health indicators
- Discuss nutrition, exercise, sleep and other healthy habits
- Review personal and family medical history
- Address mental health concerns
- Discuss reproductive and sexual health when appropriate
- Identify preventive screenings based on your age and individual risk factors
Even if you don't have any major health concerns, establishing primary care early gives you a place to turn when something does come up.
Comprehensive Primary Care for Adults: Managing Health Along the Way
As responsibilities grow — work, relationships, children, finances and everything else that comes with adulthood — health care can sometimes move down the priority list.
Regular primary care can help you stay proactive.
Family medicine providers can provide routine checkups and preventive care while also helping address common concerns such as infections, allergies, headaches, digestive issues, musculoskeletal problems and sleep concerns.
They can also help monitor and manage chronic health conditions such as:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Asthma
- Thyroid conditions
- Obesity
- Other ongoing health concerns
Your family medicine doctor in Fort Worth can also help determine which screenings and vaccinations are appropriate for you based on your age, health history and risk factors.
Parents and Growing Families: Caring for Your Health too
When you're caring for children, it can be easy to put your own health needs aside.
Family medicine provides primary care for families, from routine preventive visits to treatment for illnesses and management of ongoing conditions.
For children, UNT Health also offers pediatric care specifically focused on the unique health needs of infants, children and adolescents.
That means families can have access to both family medicine and pediatric care, depending on the needs and ages of each family member.
Midlife: Staying Ahead of Changing Health Risks
As you move into your 40s, 50s and beyond, finding preventive care in Fort Worth becomes increasingly important.
Your family medicine provider can help you monitor changes in your health and identify risk factors that may become more significant with age.
Depending on your individual needs, this may include:
- >Monitoring cardiovascular health
- Screening for diabetes and other metabolic conditions
- Keeping up with recommended cancer screenings
- Reviewing medications
- >Addressing changes in weight, sleep or energy
- Managing chronic conditions
- Supporting healthy nutrition and physical activity
- Reviewing recommended vaccinations
This is also a good time to make sure your provider knows about important changes in your family medical history, since family history can affect your health risks and screening recommendations.
Older Adults: Coordinating Care as Needs Change
Health care can become more complex as we age. Older adults may be managing multiple chronic conditions, taking several medications or seeing several specialists.
Family medicine providers can help coordinate that care and maintain a broader view of the patient's health.
Care may include:
- Managing chronic conditions
- Reviewing medications
- Monitoring mobility and fall risk
- Staying current on preventive care
- Addressing changes in memory or thinking
- Supporting healthy aging
- Coordinating care with specialists
- Helping patients and families navigate changing health needs
For older adults who need more specialized geriatric care, patients can be easily referred within the practice to UNT Health's Center for Older Adults, which provides additional resources and expertise focused on the unique needs of those 65 and older.
Why Continuity of Primary Care Matters
One of the biggest benefits of having an established primary care provider is continuity.
Instead of starting from scratch every time you have a health concern, your provider can consider your current concern in the context of your broader health history.
Over time, your provider can become familiar with:
- Your medical history
- Your medications
- Your family history
- Your health goals
- Your previous test results
- Your chronic conditions
- Changes in your health over time
That ongoing relationship can make it easier to identify changes, make informed decisions and coordinate care when you need additional services.
What Can a Family Physician in Fort Worth Treat?
Family medicine providers care for a wide range of health concerns. Depending on the practice and individual provider, this may include both short-term illnesses and ongoing conditions.
You might see a family medicine provider for:
- Colds, flu and other common illnesses
- Allergies
- Minor injuries
- Headaches
- Digestive concerns
- Joint and muscle pain
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Asthma
- Thyroid conditions
- Weight management
- Preventive care
- Medication management
- Other new or ongoing health concerns
Your primary care provider can also help determine when you need additional evaluation or care from a specialist.
When Should You See a Family Medicine Provider?
You don't have to wait until something is wrong to make a primary care appointment.
Consider scheduling a visit if:
- You're due for an annual checkup
- You need recommended screenings or vaccinations
- You have a new or persistent symptom
- You need help managing chronic conditions
- You've recently started or changed medications
- Your family medical history has changed
- You want to discuss your health risks or preventive care
- You haven't established a primary care provider in Fort Worth
If you're experiencing a medical emergency or severe symptoms, seek emergency care rather than waiting for a routine primary care appointment.
Find Fort Worth Primary Care
Your health changes throughout your life, and your primary care should be able to change with you.
Whether you’re looking for consistent chronic condition management in Fort Worth, establishing healthy habits as a young adult, or seeking support for healthy aging later in life, the Clinical Practice Group’s interprofessional care teams are here for you.
Ready to establish care? Schedule an appointment with UNT Health Family Medicine in Fort Worth today by calling 817-735-2228 or visiting us online at unthealth.edu/familymedicine.