Lecture 1 Holistic Theme - Intro to clinical ageing and health Flashcards
What four things should be considered when thinking about ageing?
Cells
Body systems
Individuals
Populations
Why is the health of older people important?
People are living longer so need to know how to treat more and more conditions that are related to age.
People are entitled to health as long as they live.
What is geriatric medicine?
A subspecialty of general internal medicine that focuses on the healthcare of older people.
What is the difference between actual age and physiological age?
If you have someone who is 80 and is really active and has been active/healthy all their life and then someone who is 65 who is really inactive and has been inactive/unhealthy (smoking, obese etc) their whole life then the 80 year old will probably have a lower physiological age than the 65 year old.
Why is geriatric medicine different to general medicine?
There is a holistic, integrated approach. Older people present in a non-specific way so harder to find the root cause of the problem. More ethical considerations. Balancing medicines (polypharmacy).
What are the 5 comprehensive geriatric assessments?
- Physical
- Mental
- Functional
- Social
- Environment
What is translational research?
The process of taking the findings from basic or clinical research and using them to produce innovation in healthcare settings.
