Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- List of contributors
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The biology of ageing
- 3 Fostering resilience, promoting health and preventing disease in older adults
- 4 Ageing and health
- 5 Social care and older people
- 6 Cognitive processes and ageing
- 7 The psychology of atypical ageing
- 8 Sociological perspectives on ageing
- 9 Retirement
- 10 Sexuality and ageing
- 11 Policies on ageing
- 12 Cross-cultural differences in ageing
- 13 Technology and ageing
- 14 Literary portrayals of ageing
- 15 Palliative care for older adults
- 16 Conclusions
- Index
- References
4 - Ageing and health
Managing co-morbidities and functional disability in older people
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- List of contributors
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The biology of ageing
- 3 Fostering resilience, promoting health and preventing disease in older adults
- 4 Ageing and health
- 5 Social care and older people
- 6 Cognitive processes and ageing
- 7 The psychology of atypical ageing
- 8 Sociological perspectives on ageing
- 9 Retirement
- 10 Sexuality and ageing
- 11 Policies on ageing
- 12 Cross-cultural differences in ageing
- 13 Technology and ageing
- 14 Literary portrayals of ageing
- 15 Palliative care for older adults
- 16 Conclusions
- Index
- References
Summary
OVERVIEW
This chapter examines common syndromes encountered in older patients, their assessment (principally using the comprehensive geriatric assessment), issues in the clinical management of older patients, the effects of vulnerability and co-morbidity, and the management of these.
Introduction
O son, help your father in his old age, and do not grieve him as long as he lives; even if he is lacking in understanding, show forbearance; in all your strength do not despise him. For kindness to a father will not be forgotten.
Sirach 3:12–14What is different about health in ageing people? Aren't all people simply as old as they feel? Does the approach to assessment and management differ from the approach recommended for younger people? Why are geriatric medicine specialists needed? When is care by a geriatrician appropriate and how old does one need to be before he or she should visit a geriatrician?
Chapter 2 outlined the biological changes that occur with ageing. Anyone over 40 who needs reading glasses can attest to the fact that there are physiological and functional changes that occur with advancing age. These changes occur at different rates in different individuals and can be affected by lifestyle and environment, but on average by age 75 one becomes, in the strict sense of the word, ‘geriatric’. The manifestations of multiple concomitant chronic diseases and their subsequent management are different in older people and present additional challenges to the geriatricians and gerontological advanced practice professionals who care for these patients.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- An Introduction to Gerontology , pp. 87 - 125Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011
References
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