Safe senior care, peace of mind in all seasons

Caring for seniors requires specialized expertise, as the body becomes more complex with age. Consulting a geriatrician, who specializes in senior medical care, is therefore essential.

1. Holistic care
   Geriatricians focus on treating the person, not just individual organs. They specialize in managing complex conditions caused by multiple factors, helping patients maintain independence for as long as possible. The goal is to extend healthspan and preserve quality of life to meet patient and family goals.
2. Expertise in geriatric syndromes
   Geriatric syndromes are not caused by a single disease but from multiple contributing factors, including age-related changes, underlying conditions, and environmental factors. Geriatricians are skilled at managing these complexities, aiming to restore and maintain the best possible quality of life rather than focusing solely on isolated conditions.

5 common conditions in older adults:

1. Mobility difficulties and unsteady walking, increasing the risk of falls or the risk of becoming bedridden. Causes may include visual impairment, muscle weakness, medications or unsafe home environments.
2. Eating and swallowing difficulties, which may lead to malnutrition, choking, or pneumonia.
3. Incontinence, affecting both physical and mental well-being, often leading to social withdrawal.
4. Cognitive impairment, including dementia and delirium.
5. Medication-related side effects due to drug interactions, duplicate medications or prolonged hospitalization

Why managing geriatric syndromes matters

1. Complex and multifactorial treatment: Conditions often stem from multiple causes. For example, a fall may result from blood pressure medication, osteoarthritis, and an unsafe environment. Effective management requires coordinated, multidisciplinary care.
2. Atypical presentation: Symptoms may differ from typical cases. For example, a urinary tract infection may present as acute confusion rather than pain during urination, increasing the risk of delayed or incorrect diagnosis.
3. The domino effect: A single untreated issue can lead to cascading complications, such as a fall leading to immobility, pulmonary infection, loss of independence, and ultimately life-threatening outcomes

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA)
Geriatricians conduct a thorough, multidimensional evaluation to understand the patient as a whole:

1. Physical: Mobility, fall risk, and nutritional status, including hidden chewing or swallowing difficulties.
2. Mental: Screening for dementia, delirium, anxiety, and depression.
3. Functional: Ability to perform activities of daily living and maintain independence.
4. Social and environmental: Home safety and caregiver capacity to ensure sustainable and safe care after discharge

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) enables geriatricians to identify overlapping factors and develop precise, personalized care plans that meet the needs of both patients and their families.
การใช้เครื่องมือ CGA นี้เองที่ทำให้หมอผู้สูงอายุสามารถระบุปัจจัยทับซ้อนที่มาจากหลายสาเหตุ และวางแผนการรักษาที่ตอบโจทย์ชีวิตของคนไข้และครอบครัวได้อย่างแม่นยำ
Sawana Srirattanawong, M.D.