Geriatric medicine refers to medical care for older adults, it is a new and emerging discipline that is more
than just the combination of "geriatrics" and "internal medicine". Its scope of research is broader and more
in-depth. Geriatric medicine covers a variety of diseases and provides comprehensive treatment.
As people age, they may develop multiple diseases, and when they go to the hospital, a visit to a single
specialist may not be enough to solve all their problems.
This is where the importance of geriatric medicine comes in. In simple terms, geriatric medicine is a
department that can provide comprehensive treatment for elderly people by taking care of all their
illnesses.
One might ask, "Why don't I go to a more authoritative specialist for these diseases instead of going to
geriatric medicine?"
The answer lies in the fact that some elderly people may have multiple diseases, and the advantage of
geriatric medicine is that it views patients as a whole and coordinates their multiple problems, providing
them with the necessary medical care and treatment. Therefore, for older adults with multiple diseases, the
ability to achieve "coordination" and "overall optimization" of multiple health problems is precisely the
expertise and advantage of geriatric medicine doctors.
Many of the diagnoses in geriatric medicine are internal medicine diseases, such as pneumonia, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, coronary heart disease, degenerative heart valve disease,
chronic kidney failure, diabetes, and cerebrovascular disease, all of which are common diseases in the
elderly.
Geriatric medicine not only treats physical diseases but also conducts comprehensive assessments, including
geriatric syndromes, physical functional status, cognitive and emotional conditions, and family and social
support. In addition, health management, rehabilitation treatment, and end-of-life care are also the
development direction of geriatric medicine.
