What do you picture when you come across the words ‘geriatric care’? Perhaps you envision a little old lady with snow-white hair, toothless, shrunken, deeply wrinkled, needing a nurse’s help to swallow a pill.
How stunned would you be to learn that Hollywood stars Julianne Moore, Antonio Banderas, and many more celebrities born in 1960, are qualifying for geriatric care this year, while Meg Ryan and Ralph Macchio will join the geriatric care gang in 2026?
At what age do you need geriatric care
There is no official or set age marking when a person enters the realm of needing geriatric care. Some people start feeling the effects of old age in their 50s, others may remain in great shape well into their 70s. Generally, though, geriatric age is accepted to be 65 years, which is when most older adults enroll in Medicare.
What is geriatric care
Geriatric care comprises all healthcare procedures, practices, and treatments that serve the very specific needs of older adults.
Why is geriatric care important
In 1925, the average life expectancy in the US was 58 years for men, and 61 years for women. Nearly a hundred years on, men are living to the age of 75, and women to 80 years. Looking at the population as a whole, as of today, 1 in 6 Americans is aged 65 years or more. By 2030, it will be 1 in 5.
That is a lot of older people needing a lot of specialized medical care for health issues stemming directly from age.
Geriatric care for chronic illnesses
Age enthusiastically welcomes all sorts of illnesses and diseases. Years of eating too much fat, sugar, and salt, of smoking, drinking too much alcohol, not exercising enough, dealing with stress, and sleep deprivation wear your body out from both inside and out.
External changes are easier to see. A new wrinkle appears, another clump of hair turns white, one more liver spot joins the collection.
Inside, meanwhile, your gums might be succumbing to periodontitis, your arteries might be hardening, your heart may be growing weaker by the day, and you may have started experiencing symptoms of cognitive loss. These are all forms of chronic disease.
Chronic diseases are long-running health conditions that are usually not curable. They can only be kept under control to alleviate associated pain and discomfort. Nearly half of all senior adults have at least 2 or more chronic diseases, and 1 in 8 older people have a whopping 5 chronic diseases working in tandem to ravage their health.
What does a geriatric doctor do
Geriatricians are medical professionals skilled at helping senior adults handle their health problems. Like other doctors, geriatricians diagnose illnesses and diseases and provide care that aims to treat the problem diagnosed. Geriatricians are also skilled in providing preventative care that may reduce your chances of contracting a chronic illness in the future.
Do you need a geriatric care provider once you hit 65?
Not necessarily. There is no mandatory requirement that you must find a geriatric care provider the moment you blow out the candles on your 65th birthday cake.
Some senior adults may decide to start looking for a good doctor experienced in the treatment and care of older patients, especially if you have a chronic illness or comorbidities.
But if you are vigilant about your health, have a good primary care physician who is keeping a close eye on your health, and are following the preventative care plan designed for you, a general physician or doctor of internal medicine may be enough for your healthcare requirements.
Comorbidities and polypharmacy among senior adults
A big reason you might consider switching to, or at least consulting with, a geriatrician is the predominantly senior-centric problem of comorbidities and polypharmacy.
- Comorbidity
Comorbidity is when you have 2 or more chronic illnesses at the same time. Sometimes, the illnesses can be unrelated and exist entirely independent of each other, such as the neurological disorder Restless Legs Syndrome, also known as RLS or Willis-Ekbom disease, and macular degeneration of the eyes.
In other cases, comorbidities may consist of diseases that affect, interfere with, and are worsened by each other, such as diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
- Polypharmacy
Juggling chronic comorbidities can be tricky, especially when it comes to the medications needed to keep the diseases in check. Polypharmacy is the practice of taking several different types of drugs simultaneously to deal with a multiplicity of chronic diseases. Polypharmacy is hardly an ideal recourse, but it is often unavoidable among senior patients.
Polypharmacy brings its own set of challenges. It is very possible that drugs prescribed to ease the pain and discomfort of one illness may exacerbate problems caused by another disease. For instance, beta blockers used to treat chronic heart failure may lead to insomnia.
Drug antagonism, where one drug cancels out the beneficial effects of another medication, is also a serious concern.
Geriatricians may be a primary touchpoint in care coordination
Care coordination, where multiple people may be involved in a person’s healthcare or treatment plan, often plays a large role in geriatric healthcare.
Many senior adults may need to regularly or frequently see more than one doctor: a primary care physician, perhaps an endocrinologist if you have diabetes, a cardiologist if you’ve lived through a heart attack, or a neurologist if you’re at risk of stroke.
Additionally, a professional caregiver might be coming in daily or weekly to check on you, and your spouse or partner may be filling the role of informal caregiver.
All these various people need to know your treatment plan, what prescription drugs you take, your medication schedule, allergies, vaccinations you’ve had, etc. If they make any additions or changes, for instance, if the neurologist puts you on a new medication, you may need to run it by your geriatrician first.
It helps to think of yourself as a boat. Your crew of specialist consultants and caregivers works together to keep you sailing smoothly, while your geriatric care provider is the captain, plotting out your healthcare journey, creating your treatment plan, navigating risky situations, and keeping an eye on everything to ensure you continue to lead a happy, healthy life