Most long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes or assisted living, have an in-house family medicine doctor called an attending physician. This individual oversees medical care for residents, including medication management, therapies, testing, and more. Residents may choose to continue seeing their primary family doctor to manage their care. It’s common for family medicine doctors or nurse practitioners to manage mental health conditions. In fact, about two-thirds of depression cases are managed by primary care doctors. While family medicine doctors are well-prepared to treat mental health conditions, their ability to deliver targeted behavioral health therapy may be limited. A board-certified geriatric psychiatrist has the education and training to dive deeper into an older adult’s mental health needs.