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The demographic transition in India with its elderly population swelling in numbers has made Geriatric Medicine, the need of the hour. As India becomes an ‘ageing nation’, there is a surging need for healthy ageing with due importance on maintaining functional independence in older people. Geriatrics caters to the medical requirements of the elderly which are fragmented over a wide spectrum of medical discourses and brings it under one umbrella head by offering comprehensive medical care. Geriatrics is the only “specialty” which knits these myriad physical, psycho-social, financial and emotional problems of elderly together into a tapestry which still remains beautiful. However, there are very few hospitals offering geriatric services in our state. Medical Trust Hospital, Kochi in an effort to live up to the ethics, values and social responsibility that this institution stands for, is pioneering this initiative by starting an exclusive department for the older adults.
The department offers comprehensive geriatric assessment with special focus on the geriatric syndromes of incontinence, falls, delirium, dementia and associated behavioral problems and polypharmacy. The Geriatrics team endeavors to provide holistic care to the older adults by promoting effective preventive, curative, rehabilitative, preventive and palliative care. Our priority is on ensuring that older people enjoy the best possible quality of life. Multidisciplinary interventions pertaining to the care of older adults in the community. To enable the families to make and implement long term care plans for their loved ones and providing healthcare at the doorstep is also proposed to be kick started soon.
When does one need to consult a Geriatrician?
- When the treatments are complex requiring many specialists
- When an older person starts having decline in memory or mobility which makes them unable to function on their own
- When an older person is taking too many medications or using complicated treatment regimens
- When an older person’s medical condition causes considerable impairment
- When older people suffer from frailty which tends to happen after the age of 60 years or earlier and makes them vulnerable to adverse health outcomes
- When older people are hospitalized – a comprehensive geriatric assessment by the geriatric team can assist in discharge planning and other treatment decisions.
