Geriatrics

Geriatrics is a branch of medicine focused on health care for older people. It aims to promote health, prevent illness, maximize function, and improve quality of life in aging populations. Geriatric care typically emphasizes functional status, safety, and autonomy rather than disease alone, and recognizes that aging processes interact with chronic conditions.

Practitioners use a comprehensive geriatric assessment, a multidimensional evaluation of medical, psychological, functional, social, and environmental factors to guide care. Care is usually delivered by an interdisciplinary team including physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, social workers, and dietitians. Goals are individualized and may shift toward maintenance of independence, pain control, or palliative aims.

Common topics include frailty, sarcopenia, multimorbidity, polypharmacy, falls, delirium, dementia, incontinence, sleep disturbances, and memory changes. Management emphasizes prevention, vaccinations, physical activity, nutrition, cognitive engagement, and social support; plans address medication review to minimize adverse effects and interactions.

Geriatric care occurs across settings, including primary care, hospital inpatient and emergency care, long-term care facilities, and home-based services. Geriatrics consultation may be sought for complex cases or acute care issues in older adults to optimize function and safety and to coordinate transitions between settings.

As populations age globally, geriatrics intersects with public health, health policy, and ethics. Areas of focus include care accessibility, equity, end-of-life planning, advance directives, and palliative care. The field distinguishes geriatric medicine from gerontology, the broader study of aging across biology, society, and culture.