An older person as a subject of comprehensive geriatric approach

Bień B

The simultaneous presence of many disorders (physical, psychological, and social) and unmet health care needs in elderly people require a more complex assessment then just a routine diagnostic examination. The involvement of comprehensive geriatric assessment provides a health care model that integrates medical and nursing care with social support. A geriatric assessment could be carried out in a wide variety of settings including: acute hospital units, long-term care, out-patient dispensaries and home visits. A holistic and comprehensive geriatric approach should cover physical, functional and mental assessments as well as the caregiver’s strain. For preventive care, effort should be placed on the aspect of health promotion, diseases prevention, and disability postponement. Rehabilitation is an important area for older people, as a majority of them requires a temporary rehabilitation after a major illness before they could regain independence in the community. In order to provide a cross comparison among different patients in different settings, a standardized methodology or instruments will enable to make comparisons better then subjective investigation. To provide a holistic and interdisciplinary health care for the elderly, training doctors, nurses and other health care professionals in geriatrics and gerontology is essential.