40 Community News
Ponte Vedra Recorder ·September 10, 2015
A compassionate physician: Meet Dr. Arnold Fong
[Note: This column ran in last
week’s edition but was missing
its final lines. This week, you will
find it reprinted in its entirety.]
More than at any other time in our
lives, we elders want to feel that life
is still good, that we have value and
contributions to make. And, perhaps
more than at any other time, we want
to feel supported and well taken care
of by our physicians. So, it’s important that we choose well, by expertise
and, too, by personality. When I was
in my thirties, I complained to my
doctor that a specialist he’d referred
me to was certainly intelligent but
abrupt and condescending. I said that
I guess it should be more important
to me that he’s more than qualified
than to complain about his personality. My doctor said: “You should have
both.” I haven’t forgotten that and
have chosen my doctors accordingly.
Dr. Fong agrees. “There has to be
good communication and understanding between the patient and
physician in order for things to work
well.”
In his training at the University
of Florida and Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, Dr. Fong enjoyed being
able to care for patients of all ages.
For him it was a more well rounded
experience. Therefore, his decision to open a practice in Family
Medicine. However, several incidents
occurred that added a great number of elder patients to his practice.
“When I was doing rounds at Baptist
Beaches Hospital, one of my patients,
a nurse, had a broken shoulder. She
worked at Vicar’s Landing and liked
my care and became a source of
referral for me, and many residents
there started coming to see me. One
of my patients from Vicar’s was a
vibrant, youthful and healthy woman
in her 80s who
died tragically
in an automobile accident on
A1A. That event
was the impetus
for me seeing
patients at Vicar’s
Landing rather
than having
Sheila Weinstein
them come to
Grow Old with Me
my office, and
also moving my
practice from Jacksonville Beach to
Ponte Vedra.”
Doctor Fong was born in Miami
of Chinese parents both of whom
immigrated to the United States from
Mainland China. After his Residency
in Tallahassee he did locum tenens
work, temporarily filling in for various doctors who needed to be away
from their practices in Tampa, Topeka and Australia. When he returned
from Australia he brought back his
tired suitcase and a lively interest in a
nurse named Vicki who he met while
in Queensland. Over the next two
years they endured countless hours
in the air as their courtship continued, ending with marriage and Vicki
moving to Ponte Vedra. Not long
after, Vicki became the Practice Manager. Together they have surrounded
themselves and their patients with a
kind and friendly staff. Valuing the
importance of his office personnel to
his patients, Dr. Fong says: “They are
the face of my practice. They have to
have a pleasant and cheerful attitude
when they speak for me.”
About his philosophy of patient
care: “I try to approach a patient and
treat them as if they were a member of my family. That’s my role as
a family physician — to be a friend
as well as a physician.” He related
the story of having been at TPC and
seeing one of his patients who didn’t
look or feel well. “He was alone and
I finally convinced him to let me take
him to the hospital.” Another time,
a patient came into his office alone
saying she was dizzy and wanted Dr.
Fong to give her something for dizziness. “Well, she was in atrial fibrillation and I took her directly to the
hospital.”
I asked Dr. Fong what he would
want someone looking for a primary
care physician to know about him.
“That they are going to get quality
care. I know my limitations about
what I can take care of. If they need
a specialist, I try to choose someone
as understanding as I am.”
“Do you feel that putting a stethoscope to the chest might sometimes
be less important than holding a
hand?” I asked. “You have to be a
good listener but to marry that with
good clinical skills so you don’t miss
a medical condition that should be
treated. With medicine the way it
is today, doctors have to see more
patients. Some offices have NonPhysician Providers. I see everyone
myself and I still try to give everyone
the time they need.”
“What’s the best recipe for aging
well?” I asked. “The basics: eating
healthful food, exercising, maintaining good blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Not smoking. Also,
having healthy relationships. I like
to find out what my patients want
for themselves and give them the
information they need to make good
choices. When it’s our time to go,
there’s nothing we can do as medical professionals to change that time.
But we can make sure we help our
patients have a good quality of life
rather than quantity.”
Art quilting is truly an art
Bonnie Talley
Quiltlady
Wow! If you haven’t seen some of the fancy art
quilts that are being made in the world today, you
have missed a real treat! Many fine artists has gone
from painting with oils and acrylics, to painting with
fabrics. There is even a category for Art Quilts in
most Quilt Shows.
The category states that any quilt that is not made
in the traditional manner could be considered an
“art quilt.” Embellishments, methods of construction,
ways of doing the actual quilting usually determine
that the quilt is an “art quilt.”
Ocean Wave Quilters Guild that meets at the The
Players Community Center in Ponte Vedra on Landrum Ln., off CR-210, has a special group called the
“Art Quilters.” They meet at 9:30 a.m. before the
regular meeting of the Guild, at 10:00 on the second
Friday of every month. One of the members gives a
little lecture or lesson, and a new theme is selected
for the next month.
This past month, the theme was “birds.” Each
member made something that used that theme and
brought it to the meeting. The variety of things made
was awesome. Lorraine Short taught a brief lesson for
the group. Pictured here is Sonja Rodgers with her
wall hanging that was chosen to be the best as voted
on by the group.
Anyone interested in learning how to make “art
quilts,” is invited to the monthly meetings of the
Guild. You may have an undiscovered talent! Visit
the next Art Quilt meeting on Sept. 11. You’ll be so
welcome!
I asked how prevalent is loneliness, depression or anxiety in his
elder patients. “It’s significant, especially if there is a loss of a loved one
where their main support came from.
Depression comes with isolation and
lack of a good support network. But
depression is fairly consistent in all
age categories. Sometimes counseling
is needed and medication as well.”
“Are you holistically inclined?”
“Well, my training is in allopathic
medicine so if I can treat with medication, I will. But I’m open to holistic
approaches if a patient wants to try
alternative medications.”
Following that question I asked if
Dr. Fong had any particular advice for
elders. “I worry about their wishes for
end-of-life care. I think it’s of great
importance that their affairs and stated
wishes are in order. And that they
have a Trustee who will respect their
wishes, not necess arily a member of
the family — perhaps a financial advisor — someone they trust who will
abide by their wishes. I also would
love them to write their memoirs.”
“What are the most rewarding
aspects of your practice?” “I think
when I find medical conditions and
the patient gets treatment quickly,
or even if it’s too late, making sure
they get their affairs in order so they
can plan ahead for their legacy. I like
the ‘cradle to grave’ aspects of my
practice, taking care of the young
and watching them through their
lives and helping older patients have
comfortable later years and not suffer with pain. I always encourage a
healthy pro-active lifestyle.”
Next time: The Doctor after hours.
I leave you with this: “The good
physician treats the disease; the great
physician treats the patient who has
the disease.” — Sir William Osler