Geriatricians

A geriatrician is a medical doctor who specializes in the care of older adults. Geriatricians focus on the unique health needs of aging patients, often dealing with multiple chronic conditions, functional decline, frailty, cognitive changes, and psychosocial factors. Their goal is to improve quality of life, maintain independence, and support patients’ goals in collaboration with families and caregivers.

Training and settings vary by country, but most geriatricians begin with residency in internal medicine or family medicine and then complete a fellowship or subspecialty training in geriatrics. Certification processes exist in many regions. Geriatricians work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and patients’ homes. They frequently participate in interdisciplinary teams with nurses, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacists, nutritionists, and other specialists.

Key elements of geriatric care include comprehensive geriatric assessment, a multidimensional evaluation of medical, functional, cognitive, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Management emphasizes prevention, optimization of medications to avoid polypharmacy, fall risk reduction, cognitive health, mobility, nutrition, and identification of goals of care. Common issues addressed by geriatricians include delirium, dementia, frailty, osteoporosis, vision and hearing impairment, sleep disorders, and multimorbidity.

Geriatric care aims to coordinate services across care settings, support advance care planning, and tailor treatment plans to individual preferences and life expectancy. In aging populations, geriatricians play a key role in promoting safe, patient-centered care and in coordinating multidisciplinary approaches to complex health needs.