Prime Time Health
St. Louis County residents learn how to age successfully
Neri and Miriam Prichard are always on the go. From lunch dates to outings with the grandkids, the two south St. Louis County residents are almost inseparable.
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“We're always together,” laughs Miriam.“Even on his bass boat, we're together. But he fishes and I read!”
The couple, now in their 70s, are enjoying retirement. When not out with his wife, Neri tinkers to his heart's content, building intricate wooden models for his grandchildren or making new bait spinners to catch a record bass.
“I'm really an active person,” says Neri. “I did everything myself up until about four years ago. I didn't need any help.”
Neri's active pace belies the fact that he deals with a multitude of health problems — fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes, to name a few. He credits his primary care physician, Srinivasan Raghavan, MD, a board-certified geriatrician, for keeping him as healthy as possible.
“Dr. Raghavan is the type of doctor we all want,” says Neri. “He listens to me, gives me time to talk, and is truly concerned about how I feel.”
Dr. Raghavan helps Neri juggle numerous medications daily to control pain and the various medical conditions. He conducts regular aging assessments, evaluating Neri's memory, balance, and ability to get up and move about. Just as important, the Prichards say, Dr. Raghavan notices the small things, such as happiness.
“He asks if Neri's been depressed, sleeping well or if there are any concerns,” says Miriam. “He also takes time to explain everything to me, too, so I can understand and help as much as possible.”
The result is that despite Neri's major medical problems, he is able to organize and participate in large family vacations. He also dreams about revving the outboard and taking his bass boat back into regional lakes next spring.
Married for 58 years, he looks fondly at his wife. “I was apprehensive when I retired, but now that I am, I can't imagine how I had enough time to do anything else when I worked. It's wonderful to be retired and do things with my family.”
For information, please call our Health Access Line at 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) or 800-554-9550 or visit find a physician online.
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