Geriatrics

Geriatrics, or the elderly medicine, deals with the diagnostics, treatment and prevention of diseases common at old age. The elderly age generally begin at 65 years old. Older people often suffer from many coexistig diseases and their symptoms may be unclear. The main principle of geriatrics is not to associate symptoms with age alone, but to treat them rationally.

The, so-called, comprehensive geriatric assessment has a great importance. It includes physical health, mental status, nutritional status, performance status and independence level of older people. This allows to plan the best treatment and rehabilitation of patients and to prevent the necessity of taking many drugs.

The most common problems with which patients go to a geriatrician are: memory loss, impaired general health and fitness, the coexistence of a number of diseases treated by different specialists.