geriatrics
Overview of Prevention in Older Adults
Introduction
For older adults, prevention focuses mainly on preventing disease, frailty, accidents (ie, unintentional injury), iatrogenic complications, and psychosocial problems and on maintaining the ability to perform activities of daily living. Not all older patients benefit from every preventive measure. Choice of preventive measures is guided by whether the patient’s general condition is Healthy Chronically ill Frail and/or complex older people have minimal or no chronic disease and are functionally independent. Primary and Secondary Prevention and people typically have several noncurable but treatable diseases, are usually functionally independent or minimally dependent, often take several prescription medications, and occasionally are hospitalized for exacerbations of their chronic diseases. Primary and Secondary Prevention and Chronically ill patients and their caregivers should learn about their diseases and treatment plans. Regular physician visits and prompt reporting of a change in symptoms can help reduce severe disease exacerbations, which can lead to hospitalization and functional decline. Frail and/or complexpeople typically have many severe chronic diseases, are functionally dependent, and have lost their physiologic reserve. They are frequently hospitalized and institutionalized. For them, prevention of accidents and iatrogenic complications is most important. Caregivers of frail older adults must work assiduously to prevent accidents by completing a home safety checklist and correcting any potential problems that are identified. Caregivers should watch for even subtle functional changes in older patients and promptly report any changes to a health care professional. If a patient has multiple unmet needs, especially when coupled with functional decline, a caregiver should consider seeking the care of a geriatric interdisciplinary team. 