Geriatrics addresses the health needs of older adults, focusing on frailty, dementia, falls, and chronic disease management.
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Geriatrics is the branch of medicine dedicated to the health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. While there is no specific age that defines “old,” geriatrics typically focuses on adults aged 65 and older, particularly those over 80 or those navigating complex, overlapping health conditions. A physician who specializes in this field is called a Geriatrician.
General internal medicine treats adults of all ages, but geriatrics is a specialized field. As the body ages, its physiology changes. Organs may not function at 100% capacity, and the way the body processes medications changes significantly. Furthermore, older adults often do not have just one disease; they have multimorbidity the co-occurrence of two or more chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, and arthritis simultaneously). Geriatrics moves beyond treating individual organs to treating the “whole person,” with a strong focus on maintaining independence and Quality of Life (QoL).
With advancements in healthcare and sanitation, life expectancy has increased dramatically. This demographic shift, often called the “Silver Tsunami,” means the population of older adults is growing faster than any other age group. Geriatrics is becoming one of the most vital fields in modern healthcare to manage this shift effectively.
In younger adults, symptoms are often clear-cut: chest pain usually means heart trouble; fever usually means infection. In older adults, however, disease presentation is often “atypical.” The aging body and immune system may not respond as expected, making diagnosis challenging. Recognizing these subtle changes is the expertise of the geriatrician.
Geriatricians often categorize significant symptoms into the “Geriatric Giants.” These are not specific diseases but collections of symptoms common in the elderly that have multiple underlying causes.
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Diagnosing health issues in the elderly requires a broad, investigative approach. A standard 15-minute medical appointment is rarely sufficient. Instead, Geriatrics relies on the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). This is a multidimensional diagnostic process designed to determine a frail older person’s medical, psychological, and functional capability.
The CGA evaluates several domains to create a holistic picture of the patient:
While “staging” is often associated with cancer, geriatrics stages functional decline to guide care.
The goal of geriatric treatment is rarely just “cure,” as many conditions are chronic. Instead, the primary goals are Function, Independence, and Comfort. Treatment plans are highly personalized; a treatment that is right for a 50-year-old might be harmful to an 85-year-old.
One of the most critical interventions in geriatrics is Deprescribing.
Movement is medicine in geriatrics.
Geriatrics works closely with palliative care principles.
Aging is a journey that deserves dignity, respect, and expert guidance. At Liv Hospital, our Geriatrics Department provides a “Medical Home” for older adults. We understand that our patients have lived full lives and have unique stories. Our medical approach is designed to honor that history by providing care that adds life to years, not just years to life.
In geriatrics, the family is often the patient’s voice.
At Liv Hospital, we believe that aging is not a disease to be cured, but a stage of life to be optimized. We are dedicated to helping our seniors live their golden years with strength, clarity, and independence.
Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by abnormal cells growing out of control and spreading to other body parts. An oncologist is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing, treating, and caring for people with cancer, leading their overall treatment plan.
Oncology treats all cancers that originate in any part of the body, including common ones like breast, lung, prostate, and colon cancer, as well as blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.
The main categories of cancer are carcinomas (starting in the skin or lining of organs), sarcomas (starting in connective tissues like bone and muscle), leukemias (blood cancers), and lymphomas (immune system cancers).
You should see an oncologist if you have been diagnosed with cancer, as they will create your specific treatment plan. You may also be referred to one if your primary care doctor suspects cancer after finding an abnormal lump or test result.
Oncology is the overall branch of medicine covering all cancer diagnosis and treatment (medication, radiation, and surgery). Surgery, or specifically surgical oncology, is one part of cancer treatment that focuses on removing the tumor physically.
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