Geriatric Medicine

Geriatric medicine refers to the branch of medicine which is particularly focused on the clinical, preventative, remedial and social aspects of illness amongst older people. A geriatrician is a medical specialist who possesses a high level of skill and experience in this field. Having a combination of both these qualities is especially important as geriatric specialists are required to treat older patients who suffer from physical frailty, complex comorbidities, different disease pattern presentations, distinct physical responses as well as individual requirements for rehabilitation or social support.

The geriatric specialist at our treatment facility in Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh holds distinguished qualifications from the United Kingdom and are backed by a team of dedicated and multi-disciplined professionals which include physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians as well as speech and language therapists. Collectively, this group of esteemed medical professionals can provide a more holistic approach towards the diagnosis and treatment of an older patient’s medical condition, whilst taking into consideration the social support that these patients may require during the treatment process.

A Personalised Approach to Treating Conditions or Diseases Affecting Older People

Our hospitals are accredited by the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH) for service quality excellence, which further emphasises our position as one of the top health service providers for geriatric care in the country.

With a specific focus on providing holistic care, each patient that walks through our facility’s doors is given our team’s personalised attention, especially when it comes to individual decisions pertaining to quality of life. For that purpose, our experienced geriatric specialist works hand-in-hand with our team of skilled medical professionals to create a person-centred care plan that caters to not just the patient but their family members as well.

Some of the responsibilities that both our specialist and medical professionals share include reviewing acutely ill older hospitalised patients in order to formalise their discharge and rehabilitation plans. This also includes reviewing and prioritising the medications required by older patients that suffer from multiple medical conditions.

Knowledge and Experience to Deal with Both Common and Severe Geriatric Problems

The geriatric specialist at our treatment facility in Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh possesses the knowledge and experience to deal with common physical disorders and diseases that affect older people. These include:

• Falls
• Frailty
• Movement disorders
• Pain in older people
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Reduced mobility

By providing each patient with a comprehensive geriatric assessment, our specialist can also diagnose and treat more debilitating conditions or diseases affecting older people. These conditions or diseases include:

• Anaemia
• Congestive cardiac failure
• Delirium
• Dementia
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Dizziness
• Hypertension
• Incontinence
• Infections
• Malnutrition and weight loss
• Polypharmacy
• Stroke
• Syncope

Comprehensive assessment also enables our specialist to determine if a patient requires prescription or deprescription of a specific medication, or if they need to consider a specific type of treatment modality.

Alternatively, our specialist can develop personalised plans that promote healthy aging or conduct memory assessments to detect severe cognitive decline (also known as dementia). Our geriatric treatment facility is also well-equipped to provide palliative or end-of-life care for older people.

If you are an older individual who notices anything amiss about your physical condition, it is advisable for you to seek consultation with a geriatric specialist. This will help your condition from worsening and boost the effectiveness of treatment.

Contact us today to find out more about our geriatric medicine services at Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh.