Geriatric assessment is a multidimensional, usually interdisciplinary, diagnostic process intended to determine a frail older person's medical, psychosocial, and functional capabilities and problems, with the objective of developing an overall plan for treatment and long-term follow-up. It differs from the…
Although diseases occur more commonly as people get older, many become more challenging to diagnose accurately in older adults. Classic presenting symptoms may be absent, or nonspecific symptoms such as altered mental status, weight loss, fatigue, falls, dizziness, or functional…
Introduction Far from being years of leisure and inactivity, later life is increasingly recognized as being characterized by high levels of productivity. The concept of productive aging captures both paid and unpaid activities that have social value and are performed…
Personality may be defined as the pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that shape an individual's interface with the world, distinguish one person from another, and manifest across time and situation. Personality is impacted by biologic, cognitive, and environmental determinants,…
People's lives are embedded in rich social contexts; many social factors affect each of our lives every day. This is perhaps more noticeable for older adults because declines in health and functional status may increase reliance on social supports and…
Introduction Social gerontology , as the term suggests, is concerned with the study of the social aspects of aging and old age. These include a large range of topics, disciplines, and methods requiring a good understanding of the clinical and…
* Material in this chapter contains contributions from the previous edition, and we are grateful to the previous authors for the work done. This chapter provides an overview of the principal features of cognitive functioning in normal aging adults. The…
Attempts to reverse the aging process stretch back to the time when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Since then, wise sages and charlatans have made numerous pronouncements on what the populace should do to extend…
Each day, worldwide, older adults consume millions of doses of medications. This remarkable amount of medication use benefits many older people by preventing and treating disease, preserving functional status, prolonging life, and improving or maintaining good quality of life. However,…
Introduction The last 25 years has seen enormous growth in our knowledge of skin function, with new subspecialties of cutaneous biology emerging during that time, not least of which is cutaneous neuroendocrinology. The position of the skin, our largest organ…