Geriatric hygiene and geriatrics.
- Geriatrics: Branch of medicine focused on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of diseases in older adults (≥60 years).
- Geriatric Hygiene (Gerohygiene): Application of hygienic and preventive measures to maintain health, functional capacity, and quality of life in older adults. Focuses on biological, physiological, and social aspects of aging to preserve independence and prevent chronic diseases.
Key Concepts:
- Old Age: Natural final stage of human development.
- Aging: Gradual decline of adaptive, repair, and regulatory functions due to cumulative damage.
- Vitaukt (Anti-Aging Regulation): Biological protective mechanisms that slow aging and maintain normal body functions, such as antioxidant defenses (glutathione, superoxide dismutase), DNA repair systems, immune surveillance, and hormonal regulation (e.g., growth hormone, sex hormones). It’s basically the body’s natural ways to protect cells, tissues, and organs from damage and maintain homeostasis as we age.
- Biological Age: Reflects physiological condition, may differ from chronological age.
Goal: Slow aging, prevent chronic diseases (atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cancer), and maintain functional independence.
Physiology of Aging:
- Cellular: Telomere shortening, DNA damage accumulation, reduced autophagy, increased oxidative stress.
- Autophagy: is a natural cellular process in which cells break down and recycle damaged components to maintain intracellular homeostasis.
Common Health Issues
- Cardiovascular: Hypertension, atherosclerosis, IHD, stroke
- Respiratory: COPD, recurrent pneumonia
- Endocrine/Metabolic: Type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, sarcopenic obesity
- Musculoskeletal: Osteoporosis (senile), osteoarthritis
- Nervous/Mental: Dementia, Parkinson’s, depression, sleep disorders
- Sensory: Cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, presbycusis
- Digestive/Genitourinary: Constipation, gastritis, urinary incontinence, BPH
- Frailty Syndrome: Low muscle strength + slow walking + unintentional weight loss → ↑ falls & mortality
Health Status and Morbidity in the Elderly:
- The global population is aging, with a growing proportion of people aged 60 and above.
- Older adults have 2–3 times higher morbidity than middle-aged adults, with 80–90% affected by chronic diseases.
- Multimorbidity is common: those over 60 typically have around 3 chronic conditions, while by age 75+, they may have 9–10.
Geriatric Medical Care: The organized healthcare system aimed at maintaining health, independence, and quality of life in older adults.
Key Points:
- Role of the family doctor: Acts as the main coordinator for all medical and social care needs of elderly patients.
- Care models:
- Outpatient care: clinic visits without hospitalization (>75%).
- Home care: medical services at home (>50% over 70).
- Day hospitals: treatments during the day, return home at night.
- Residential care: long-term nursing or assisted-living facilities.
- Rehabilitation: Involves medical, physical, mental, and social interventions to restore or maintain function.
- Prevention: