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Global life expectancy has been increasing, and so has the population of older patients. Due to multiple comorbidities, the geriatric population has special needs. This activity describes the evaluation of various domains of geriatric assessment and highlights the role of the interprofessional team in the management of older patients. Objectives: Review the common presentation of geriatric patients. Identify the unique features in the care of geriatric patients. Summarize the management consideration of the older patients. Outline how an interprofessional team can coordinate geriatric patients' coordinated evaluation and care to obtain the best outcomes. Access free multiple choice questions on this topic.

The elderly population (age >65 years) is increasing throughout the world, leading to increased hospitalization. There was a 16.7% increase in elderly hospitalization from 2003-2009 in the United States. This rising hospitalization has impacted healthcare services delivery.[1] With the aging population comes a multitude of chronic conditions. It is estimated that 9 out of 10 Americans have at least one chronic condition by age 80.[2] Due to multiple comorbidities and frailty, the elderly are at increased risk of adverse outcomes with each clinical insult.[1] Besides the common comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension, older patients can present with atypical presentation too. For example, a patient with sepsis may present without fever, or a patient with Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) may present with confusion. The elderly population varies in cognitive, physical, and social functioning and thus requires different levels of care based on individual needs and functional status.[3][4] Geriatric assessment, thus, includes a coordinated approach for the physical, functional, and psychosocial assessment of the elderly and formulate an integrated plan of care.[1]

Life expectancy has improved over the last few decades due to advancements in medical science. Due to this, the population of older patients has also increased significantly. United States Census Bureau estimates around 49 million people in the US are 65 years or over in 2016. Impairment in multiple domains in the aging population inversely affects health outcomes and quality of life. Hence, a comprehensive assessment in this population is imperative for early diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of issues in the older population.[62] Due to the multitude of comorbidities, geriatric assessment and care require coordination between all members of the interprofessional healthcare team, including clinicians of different specialties like primary care, hospitalist, geriatrician, psychiatrist, podiatrist, dentist, to name a few, as well as nurse, social worker, and other allied health care workers such as a physical therapist, occupational therapist, nutritionist, pharmacist, psychologist, audiologist and optician. A systematic review of 29 randomized controlled trials has shown that hospitalized older patients who receive this kind of assessment have more chances of surviving and living at home than in nursing homes.[1] [Level I]