Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Black.
Hi Melissa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve wanted to be a geriatrician since high school because I am most comfortable around elders. My father was youngest of 10 and my mom one of 5. My dad is indigenous, from the Oneida tribe of New York. There big families are common, and older adults are treated with special respect which is why I always use the term elders. In many native communities like ours, elders are a big part of every day life. We would have special events to celebrate them. Although I grew up in town, I worked on the Oneida territory in the summers where elders would be around teaching crafts like beadwork, how to make corn soup and speak in Oneida. Not a lot of people were speaking Oneida at that time. We know today kids were punished in schools for speaking Native languages. I can remember visiting my father’s uncle when he would sit on a bench outside. He was quiet, looking weathered, and I think by then he had some dementia. I was taking language classes and so I sat with him and said, “Shekoli Uncle Pete, Wuhnisliyo Atste” which means, hello uncle, it’s a nice day outside. He started to cry. I don’t think anyone had spoken Oneida to him in many many years. It made me think about how elders may have weathered aging bodies, but there is so much life and story inside of them.
I’ve always been surrounded by elders and love learning so medical school and geriatrics were a natural fit. I completed a family medicine residency at Atlanta Medical Center and a geriatrics fellowship at Emory (2007). I taught geriatrics to residents and fellows for 9 years there, taking care of elders in a clinic and nursing home. I started my own private practice in 2015, so in practice for 10 years seeing elders in my office and in many home visits which is a joy. With so many families now helping in the care of their elders, I see a big need for public education related to geriatrics, so I’ve started a passion project making some educational content and offering a course for care partners, called EldercareMD.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think the road to a career in medicine is smooth for anyone. The process of applying is demanding and the training physically and mentally exhausting though also exhilarating. In fact, I did not get into medical school the first year I applied.
I spent part of that interim year with a woman named Leona. Leona was in her 80s, had never had children but lived next door and became like family. Leona developed metastatic breast cancer that year. I had just graduated from Cornell and did not get into medical the first time I applied. That year Leona became physically weaker and I ended up staying with her for several months so she wouldn’t be alone. I was with her the day she died. I started medical school a just few weeks later. So I gave her the gift of companionship in her final weeks, and she gave me a heart and passion for helping elders.
We’ve been impressed with EldercareMD, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started Empower Family Medicine in 2015, doing office and home-based primary care for elders, as a way to empower families to get better care for elders. The larger health system is poorly suited to the needs of older adults, including long wait times, hard-to-navigate phone trees, and very short appointment times which can make it hard to ask questions. If you walk slowly or have some cognitive slowing, it is very hard to navigate such a fast-paced system. I empower families and their elders by giving them the time they need. I found a very sweet picture of a slough for my office that says “It’s Ok to Slow Down.” I want people to feel listened to and comforted when they leave my office, not rushed and confused.
I had my 50th birthday this year and am now raising teenagers. I’m getting older and wondering what healthcare will look like for me. I feel the need to impart some knowledge about aging and helping elders for my teens, so when I reach my nineties they have guidance. From that desire, the idea for EldercareMD was born. Next month I’ll begin appearing with some tips and stories from geriatric medicine on YouTube and Instagram, and have an app, EldercareMD that adults caring for elders can download for helpful information. I’ll also offer a live virtual course for care partners, and am currently recruiting founding members for my first six week session in October.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory would be having family picnics. My dad was one of 10 children so I had many aunts, uncles and cousins. Every summer at least once or twice there would be a get-together at my aunt’s house. There would be all kinds of homemade potluck food, laughter and games. The kids would play hide and seek or ride the swing sets and the “twirly bird” my uncle built to spin us around. The adults would play horseshoes, volleyball and softball. They they would play cards as the sun set. The kids would fall asleep together in upstairs beds, and my favorite memory is the warm feeling of falling asleep to the sound of grown-ups laughing and having a good time together.
I’ve been an old soul since childhood. All my favorite memories include elders. I remember while dating my now-husband we went to the zoo. Upon return my mom asked what was the best thing we saw, and he replied, “Lena.” Lena was an elder woman who lived next door with her sister Leona. Neither had children. They became like family to us. By then she was living in a nursing home, but we would still bump into her out on the town at restaurants or even the zoo. She always had a story and a twinkle in her eye. She was a Braves fan and kept meticulous game statistics. From her I learned to love elders for the person they were inside, no matter where they lived or how their body changed. (See picture of us and Lena)
Pricing:
- Basic EldercareMD app: Free
- EldercareMD App, Premium Content $49.99
- App Discount through my website, $39
- Six Week Care Partners Course: $699
- Course discount for founding members $499
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eldercaremd.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geridocmom/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569755504963
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-black-m-d-2a733173/
- Twitter: https://x.com/blackmelis
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eldercaremdhttps://www.youtube.com/@eldercaremd
- Other: https://eldercaremd.passion.io/
