Litchfield County is the largest county in Connecticut and has the most number of people age 65 and older, according to the state Office of Legislative Research. To better meet the healthcare needs of older adults, it seemed only natural for Hartford HealthCare (HHC) to expand senior services in that region.
The HHC Medical Group is pleased to welcome geriatrician Dr. Rachna Valvani, the first Internist in the area who specializes in people at least 65 years old and diseases that affect them. She is now accepting patients for geriatric consultations at her new office at Sky Top Plaza, 100 East Main St., Torrington.
“I am passionate about comprehensive medical care for older adults and focus on collaborating with all health care team members to address a patient’s overall health and well-being,” she said.
Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment involves a multidisciplinary team. Dr. Valvani’s focus on the aging includes geriatric evaluations, cognitive impairment, memory issues, dementia and post-acute care. If you or someone you know is experiencing one or more geriatric syndromes including visual or hearing loss, dizziness and syncope (fainting), swallowing and feeding problems, urinary incontinence, falls or gait impairment, frailty, osteoporosis, dementia or changes in memory, behavioral changes related to aging or dementia, or sleep disorders you may want to consider seeing a geriatrician.
Dr. Valvani attended Medical School at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College in Jabalpur, India. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency at New York Metropolitan Hospital followed by a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at Montefiore Hospital in New York.
The central location at 1000 East Main St. has become a health hub for the older population. The network includes Hartford HealthCare Medical Group with a geriatrics component and primary care providers, the HHC Center for Healthy Aging, HHC Rehabilitation Network, and Hartford HealthCare-GoHealth Urgent Care. This partnership provides a seamless, holistic approach to healthcare for senior adults living in the Northwest region.
The Torrington office is just one of 12 sites where the Center for Healthy Aging offers connections to essential information and services that can benefit seniors, their loved ones and caregivers. This fall, Melissa Garthwait, BSW, joined the Center for Healthy Aging team in providing resource coordination in the Litchfield County area.
This partnership has proven to be successful: the department of geriatrics manages the medical aspects of wellness and aging while the Center for Healthy Aging coordinates in-home services, state programs, transportation, Medicare counseling and more. Having this connection with the Center for Healthy Aging is “not only invaluable but indispensable,” Dr. Valvani said.
