Who Is Treated by Geriatric Medicine?

Geriatric medicine is a clinical specialty that focuses on the general and specific health needs of elderly people. These patients typically live with multiple health concerns, and their care needs can be complicated. Expert care for geriatric patients is available at Your Family Medical in Flower Mound, TX. Older men and women experience a variety of physical and cognitive health issues as they continue to age.

What Is Geriatric Medicine?

A physician with a focus on elderly patients is called a geriatrician. While geriatric medicine is considered a specialty, the geriatrician actually looks after a wide range of health conditions and is very much a generalist. The geriatrician keeps an eye on all these health issues with an eye toward the past, present and future wellness of the patient. In understanding the patient’s past history, the geriatrician must have an understanding of previous medical conditions or events that impact the patient’s current state of health, directly or indirectly. Besides providing treatment for current health problems, the geriatrician also works to prevent or reduce the risk of future disease and medical events.

Who Are Geriatric Patients?

A geriatric patient can most easily be described as an older person that lives with declining physical or mental functions. As the saying goes, age is only a number; many 80-year olds are in better shape and spirits than many 65-year olds. A typical patient for geriatric medicine is in their 70s and lives with some combination of chronic health conditions and physical or cognitive decline.

The Wave of Older Patients and Longevity

People in the U.S. are living longer lives than ever. The astounding numbers of the senior population can be traced to the aging of the Baby Boomers. This generation, born in the 20 years between 1944 and 1964, started turning 65 around 2010. Over the next 10 years, these people will number more than 70 million Americans. Many factors account for this never-before-seen longevity. Advances in medicine, especially drugs such as antibiotics, have played a major part. Also, in comparison to the lives of previous generations, workplaces have become safer, environmental pollution has been lowered, and diets and lifestyles have improved.

Demographic Statistics of Aging in the U.S.

The Role of Family Caregivers

With a large aging population comes the problem of who will care for them. In most cases today, the elder’s family assumes a great deal of the caregiving load. According to AARP, there are more than 43 million family caregivers in the U. S. that actively look after senior family or loved ones. These unpaid individuals lead their own busy lives and often can’t stay ahead of health problems and declines in the elderly that they look after. A geriatrician typically works with both the patient and the family caregivers to maintain health and wellness for the elderly. Beyond pure medical treatment and prescriptions, the geriatric doctor advises the family to ensure that the elder patient is getting proper medical attention, appropriate diet and activity, and is staying emotionally and socially engaged.

How Aging Changes the Body

As we age, our bodies and minds experience an organic decline in function. Even those who have always lived a healthy lifestyle suffer from the effects of aging. Sometimes age-related problems occur suddenly, as in a cardiac event or a stroke. Other issues are the result of cumulative wear, often through chronic conditions that progress over time, such as COPD or arthritis. The geriatric patient can experience a multitude of problems as they age. These can generally be divided into physical and cognitive (mind-based) issues.

Typical Physical Problems

• Orthopedic Issues: As people age, their bone density changes. Muscles also lose their mass and strength, both on their own and as a result of less physical activity. Problems from chronic diseases, such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, become more difficult to live with. These cumulative conditions contribute to weakness and instability, which brings on a potentially dangerous state of frailty.
• Perceptual Problems: People’s ability to hear and see degrade with age.