On the significance of geriatric medicine departments in Italy

Abstract

The aging of population has been characteristic for the industrial countries during the last years. It is essentially due to two factors: the increase of life span and the decrease of births. Today the health conditions of the older population are better than in the past, but in octagenarians morbidity and disability globally increased. Therefore, aging of the population involves also more expenses for all the health care services, i.e., both for each older patient's family, and for the community. In departments of geriatric medicine it is right to consider two kinds of patients: older patient and geriatric patient. Multidimensional assessment and global intervention performed by a multidisciplinary team can obtain much better results for the geriatric patients, than the traditional medical strategies. Several reviews show also that departments of geriatric medicine achieve better results, than of the common internal medicine. Geriatric medicine departments have different aspects not only in the treatment of diseases, but also in supporting a global assistance, which aim also at rehabilitating the patient. Because of this central role and indispensability of the geriatric specialists, their work in the network of services should be obligatory, since only a continuous and global care can guarantee significant results for the geriatric patients.