What is Geriatric Medicine?
Geriatric medicine is specialised and fully dedicated to looking after the health of older adults. A geriatric medicine consultant, who is also referred to as a geriatric specialist, doesn’t only cover a single organ system. They look into the overall health of the whole person and understand the complex interplay between ageing, multiple chronic conditions, medication,s and functional ability.
Moving beyond simply treating diseases, it looks at optimising overall well-being, independence, and quality of life for older individuals. A little different from traditional internal medicine, which addresses specific illnesses, geriatric medicine fuses a complete picture of an individual’s health. This covers physical, cognitive, psychological and social circumstances. A holistic approach like this is fundamental to providing effective elderly care that respects their unique needs and goals as individuals.