FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQ
What is a geriatric medicine specialist?
A geriatrician is a doctor working in a specialised field of medicine who manages complex health issues affecting older patients, particularly after the age of sixty-five.
What types of conditions do geriatricians diagnose and treat?
- Neurodegenerative conditions (Alzheimer’s disease, dementias like vascular dementia, Dementia with Lewy bodies Frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease etc.)
- Trouble with balance and frequent falls
- Depression
- Frailty
- Osteoporosis
- Side effects and adverse interactions with various medications in patient who have multiple chronic diseases for which they take lots of different medications.
Do geriatricians work alongside other doctors?
Geriatricians work with other doctors in various medical fields, including caregivers, nurses, physicians, physical therapists, mental health practitioners and social workers.
What is the aim of geriatric care?
Geriatric care strives to promote the patient's quality of life and meet all health goals. Fortunately, a geriatric medicine specialist provides long-term, ongoing care for complex older patients and feeds back to the general practitioners and other specialists involved in the care of the patient to establish a comprehensive care plan.
How long is a consultation expected to last?
Times vary, depending on the patient's medical history and underlying conditions. A new patient consultation or comprehensive geriatric assessment usually lasts around 2 hours.
The purpose of a doctor, or any human in general, should not be to simply delay the death of a patient, but to increase the person's quality of life.
PATCH ADAMS