Knowra Geriatrics Geriatrics Geriatrics is the medical specialty focused on the health, diseases, and care of older adults. It emphasizes preserving function and coordinating care amid multiple conditions, medications, and changing needs.
Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment : A multidisciplinary evaluation of an older adult’s medical, psychological, functional, and social needs. It organizes geriatric care around a whole-person assessment rather than isolated diagnoses.
Aging : The gradual biological and functional changes that occur over time in living organisms. Distinguishing normal aging from disease is a basic clinical challenge.
Beers Criteria : An expert consensus list of medications that may be inappropriate for older adults in many circumstances. It flags drugs whose risks often outweigh benefits in older patients.
Internal Medicine : The medical specialty concerned with preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases in adults. Geriatrics shares adult medicine’s scope but gives special weight to aging, function, and care coordination.
Frailty : A state of reduced physiological reserve that increases vulnerability to stressors and adverse outcomes. Identifying frailty helps tailor treatment intensity and anticipate recovery needs.
Multimorbidity : The coexistence of two or more chronic health conditions in one person. Conditions interact, making single-disease guidelines difficult to apply in isolation.
STOPP/START Criteria : Explicit criteria for identifying potentially inappropriate medicines and prescribing omissions in older adults. It complements medication review by checking both what to stop and what may be missing.
Gerontology : The interdisciplinary study of aging and its biological, psychological, and social dimensions. Gerontology studies aging broadly; geriatrics provides clinical care to older adults.
Polypharmacy : The use of multiple medications, often associated with increased risks of interactions and adverse effects. Medication review is central when older adults have multiple conditions and prescriptions.
Activities of Daily Living : Basic self-care tasks, such as bathing, dressing, eating, and toileting. Changes in these tasks reveal the practical impact of illness and treatment.
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