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Geriatric Medicine guides
20 plain-English, evidence-linked guides in Geriatric Medicine, with clinical review status shown on each page.
Bone protection treatment (Osteoporosis treatment for fracture prevention (bone-protection medicines))Medicines that strengthen bone and lower the chance of breaking a bone (fracture) in people with osteoporosis or a high fracture risk; their benefit depends heavily on taking them as directed.Capacity assessment (Assessment of mental capacity)An assessment of whether a person can make a particular decision for themselves at a particular time, carried out under the law that applies where you live (the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in England and Wales) and designed to support the person to decide wherever possible.Care planning and advance care planning (Personalised care planning and advance care planning)A series of conversations in which a person sets out what matters to them and how they would like to be cared for, now and in the future, so their wishes are known and can be respected if they later become unwell.Comprehensive geriatric assessment (Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA))A thorough, whole-person assessment by a geriatrician and team that looks at an older person's health, thinking, daily living, medicines and home life together, then builds one shared plan.Continence assessment (Assessment of urinary and bowel continence)An assessment to find out why you are leaking urine or struggling with bladder or bowel control, and to offer treatment, because incontinence is common but treatable and is not simply a normal part of ageing.Delirium (acute confusion) assessment (Assessment of delirium (acute confusional state))An urgent assessment when someone becomes suddenly confused, to confirm delirium, find and treat the cause, and protect the person — because delirium is a medical emergency that is often reversible.Dizziness and blackout assessment (Assessment of dizziness, faints and transient loss of consciousness (syncope))A specialist assessment to find out why you have been dizzy, faint or blacking out, to look for treatable heart, blood-pressure and balance causes, and to reduce the risk of injury from falls.Falls assessment (Multifactorial falls risk assessment)A thorough assessment of why an older person is falling or unsteady, looking at many possible causes together so the treatable ones can be found and acted on.Frailty assessment (Frailty assessment (identification of frailty))An assessment that judges how frail an older person is, so that reversible problems can be found and care, medicines and support can be tailored to them.Geriatric medicine consultation (Specialist assessment in geriatric medicine (comprehensive geriatric assessment))A specialist appointment for older people that looks at health, medicines, mobility, memory, mood and home life together, to build a personal plan around what matters most to you.Home visit assessment (Comprehensive geriatric assessment in the home (domiciliary assessment))A visit to an older person's home by a geriatrician or specialist team to assess health, medicines, memory, mobility and safety, and to agree a plan that helps them stay well and independent.Managing several long-term conditions together (Multimorbidity management (comprehensive geriatric assessment and care planning))A joined-up, person-led way of looking after someone who lives with several long-term health problems at once, so that care, medicines and appointments work together around what matters most to them.Medication review (polypharmacy) (Structured medication review)A careful, shared review of all an older person's medicines together, to keep the ones that help, safely reduce any that no longer do, and make taking them simpler and safer.Mobility and balance assessment (Mobility and balance assessment (gait and balance assessment))An assessment of how an older person walks, balances and moves about, to find why they are unsteady and what would help them stay mobile and safe.Nutrition and weight loss assessment (Assessment of unintentional weight loss and malnutrition risk)An assessment for someone losing weight without trying, or eating poorly, to find the cause — including ruling out serious illness such as cancer — and to support better nutrition.Osteoporosis and bone health assessment (Fragility fracture risk assessment and bone density (DEXA) testing)An assessment of how strong your bones are and your risk of breaking a bone, so that fracture-prevention treatment can be offered to those most likely to benefit.Parkinson's disease management (Management of Parkinson's disease)The ongoing, specialist-led care of Parkinson's disease — medicines tuned to each person and given on time every time, alongside therapies and support — to control symptoms and protect quality of life.Postural blood pressure assessment (Lying and standing blood pressure measurement (assessment for orthostatic hypotension))A simple test that measures blood pressure lying or sitting and then standing, to check whether it drops too much on standing — a common and often treatable cause of dizziness and falls in older people.Pre-operative assessment for older patients (Comprehensive geriatric assessment and optimisation before surgery (perioperative medicine for older people))A thorough check before an operation, tailored to older people, that assesses health, frailty and risk, optimises long-term conditions and medicines, and supports an honest, shared decision about whether and how to proceed.Stroke and TIA assessment (Assessment for stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA))A specialist assessment that works out whether you have had a stroke or a TIA (mini-stroke), why it happened, and what treatment can lower your risk of a future stroke.
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