Geriatric

Geriatric refers to the branch of medicine that focuses on health promotion, prevention, and treatment of disease and disability in later life. The term comes from the Greek geron meaning "old man", and iatros meaning "healer".

Definition

Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a specialty that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician, or geriatric physician, a physician who specializes in the care of elderly people. Rather, this decision is determined by the individual patient's needs, and the availability of a specialist.

History

The term "geriatrics" was proposed in 1909 by Dr. Ignatz Leo Nascher, a New York physician. He combined the Greek geron (old man) and iatros (healer) to create the term "geriatrics", meaning "the healing of the elderly".

Importance

As the population ages, the demand for geriatric care continues to grow. Geriatricians are trained to recognize and manage multiple and chronic illnesses, to understand the importance of functional ability in older people, and to appreciate the social and psychological issues that influence health in the elderly.

Geriatric Syndromes

Geriatric syndromes are conditions that are common in older adults and have significant implications for function and life expectancy. These include falls, incontinence, delirium, dementia, and frailty.

Geriatric Assessment

Geriatric assessment is a multidimensional, multidisciplinary diagnostic process used to determine an older person's medical, psychological, and functional capabilities in order to develop a coordinated and integrated plan for treatment and follow-up.

See Also

• Gerontology
• Geriatric nursing
• Geriatric psychiatry
• Geriatric rehabilitation

References

Geriatric Resources
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