Although frailty in older adults may be associated with an underlying loss of complexity in many physiologic systems, the clinical conditions and geriatric syndromes that are commonly present in frail older adults are often highly complex. This clinical complexity, including…
Introduction In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the role for geriatric medicine specialists in the care of older surgical patients. This has been fueled in part by the increasing numbers of older people undergoing elective and…
Social assessment is an integral part of a comprehensive multidimensional assessment of older adult patients. Many studies on the effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment include a social worker on the assessment team, whose mandate typically includes identifying and addressing social…
Introduction Radical improvements in health care and general lifestyle have brought about longer life expectancy and, with it, a demographic phenomenon that has never been observed before. The steady growth of the proportion of older adults in the general population,…
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…