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Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, [1] is a medical specialty focused on addressing the unique health needs of older adults [2] The term geriatrics originates from the Greek γέρων geron meaning "old man", and ιατρός iatros meaning "healer".
In hospitals, the elderly face the very real problem of ageism. For example, doctors and nurses often mistake symptoms of delirium for normal elderly behavior. Delirium is a condition that has hyperactive and hypoactive stages. In the hypoactive stages, elderly patients can just seem like they are sleeping or irritable. [15]
Geriatric care management is the process of planning and coordinating care of the elderly and others with physical and/or mental impairments to meet their long term care needs, improve their quality of life, and maintain their independence for as long as possible.
In the United States, hospital discharge data from 2003 to 2011 shows that injury was the most common reason for hospitalization among patients aged 65+. [127] Gerontologists note the lack of research regarding and the difficulty in defining frailty. However, they add that physicians recognize frailty when they see it. [128]: xxi, 4, 6
Elderly man at a nursing home in Norway. Long-term care (LTC) is a variety of services which help meet both the medical and non-medical needs of people with a chronic illness or disability who cannot care for themselves for long periods. Long-term care is focused on individualized and coordinated services that promote independence, maximize ...
An intermediate care facility (ICF) is a health care facility for individuals who are disabled, elderly, or non-acutely ill, usually providing less intensive care than that offered at a hospital or skilled nursing facility. Typically an ICF is privately paid by the individual or by the individual's family.
Geriatricians have focused on holistic assessments of their patients since the early days of the specialty. Dr. Marjorie Warren was the first doctor in the UK to systematically assess older people, categorizing them into those who could be got better with appropriate treatment and then discharged, and those who needed continuing (usually institutional) care. [4]
Gerontological nursing has been complicated by the areas where elderly patients live. There has been an increase in the elderly population in rural areas. 19% or more of the population is aged 65 years or more compared to 15% of those of the same age range in non-rural areas (Sharp et al., 2019).