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2.  Definition
 Competencies
 Adult and Geriatric Differences
 Geriatric Giants
 Medical Conditions
 Medication Issues
 Geriatric Specialties
 Complication with Treatments
 Employment/Salary
 Awards
 Conclusion
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3.  Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that
focuses on health care of the elderly. It
aims to promote health and to prevent and
treat diseases and disabilities in older
adults.
 People over the age of 65 are considered,
geriatric but there is no set age
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4.  Cognitive and behavioral disorders
 Medication management
 Self-care capacity
 Falls, balance, gait disorder
 Atypical presentation of disease
 Palliative care: any form of medical care or
treatment that concentrates on reducing the
severity of disease symptoms
 Hospital care for elders
 Health care planning and promotion
Most pressing issue facing geriatrics is the
treatment and prevention of delirium
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5.  Geriatric medicine is the study of
the decline of the body organs as
the body ages.
 This health varies according to the
whether the body is in decline or
maintaining as age continues to set
in and the lifetime of good and/or
bad habits that have accumulated.
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6.  Delirium: acute and debilitating decline in attention-
focus, perception, and cognition that produces an altered
form of semi-consciousness
 Immobility: disinclined to move
 Instability: lack of physical stability; unsteadiness
 Incontinence: involuntary excretion of urine
 Impaired intellectual memory functioning: various
mental processes that underpin rational thinking.
 Elderly care: fulfillment of the special needs and
requirements that are unique to senior citizens
 Multiple medications: prescription and nonprescription
medications, herbal supplements, and vitamins
 Impaired vision: visual degenerative conditions
 Impaired hearing: full or partial decrease in the ability to
detect or understand sounds
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7.  Dementia isn't a specific disease. Instead, it describes a group of
symptoms affecting intellectual and social abilities severely enough
to interfere with daily functioning. It's caused by conditions or
changes in the brain. Different types of dementia exist
 Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia
 Cancer (e.g., ovarian cancer, prostate cancer) refers to any one of a
large number of diseases characterized by the development of
abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably and have the ability to
infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue
 Diabetes the term "diabetes mellitus" refers to a group of diseases
that affect how your body uses blood glucose, commonly called
blood sugar.
 Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by episodes of abnormal
neuronal signaling in the brain.
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8.  Heart disease is an umbrella term for a variety for different diseases affecting
the heart. As of 2007, it is the leading cause of death in the United States
 Osteoporosis which means "porous bones," causes bones to become weak and
brittle — so brittle that even mild stresses like bending over, lifting a vacuum
cleaner or coughing can cause a fracture. In most cases, bones weaken when you
have low levels of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals in your bones
 Parkinson's disease develops gradually, often starting with a barely noticeable
tremor in just one hand. But while tremor may be the most well-known sign of
Parkinson's disease, the disorder also commonly causes a slowing or freezing of
movement.
 Sleep disorders nightmares, night terrors, sleepwalking, sleep talking, head
banging, wetting the bed and grinding your teeth are kinds of sleep problems
called parasomnias. There are treatments for most sleep disorders. Sometimes
just having regular sleep habits can help
 Stroke occurs when the blood supply to a part of your brain is interrupted or
severely reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. Within a few
minutes, brain cells begin to die.
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9. • Half of all Americans are taking multiple medications each day, including
prescription and nonprescription medications, herbal supplements, and
vitamins
• 51% are taking more than one medication of any kind each day
• 46% are taking at least one prescription medication each day
• 28% are taking multiple prescription medications a day
• 40% are taking multiple herbal supplements or vitamins each day
 Of people age 65 or older, 79% are taking at least one prescription
medication a day, with an average of 4 prescription medications a day.
 Although these medications could have a serious impact on their hospital
care, the survey found that only 8% told hospital staff knew what
medications they were taking, and only 3% brought samples of their
medications with them to the hospital.
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10.  Geriatric Rehabilitation : Focus on physical therapy and
rehabilitation
 Geriatric Psychiatry (focus on dementia, delirium, depression and
other psychiatric disorders).
 Geriatric Cardiogeriatrics (focus on cardiac diseases of elderly)
 Geriatric nephrology(focus on kidney diseases of elderly)
 Geriatric oncology(focus on tumors in elderly)
 Geriatric rheumatology(focus on joints and soft tissue disorders in
elderly)
 Geriatric diagnostic imaging
 Geriatrics dermatology(focus on skin disorders in elderly)
 Geriatric subspeciality medical clinics(As Geriatric Anticoagulation
Clinic Geriatric Assessment Clinic, Falls and Balance Clinic,
Continence Clinic, Palliative Care Clinic, Elderly Pain Clinic,
Cognition and Memory Disorders Clinic)
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11.  Treating an elderly patient is filled with
complications with the major difference
of treating a geriatric patient is that
treating an elderly person sometimes
needs to have a guardian or healthy
proxy make the medically decision
required for the situation or treatment
required. The issues of power of
attorney privacy, legal responsibility,
advance directives and informed
consent must always be considered in
geriatric procedure
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12. Employment/Salary Data:
Reported Range of Current Hourly Salaries from 2007:
Out-state full time Geriatrics = $17.50 - 18.43
Out-of-town full time Geriatrics = $22.50
These are averages for the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area
West North Central: $31,764 (MN, IA, MO, KS, NE, SD, ND)
The Median income of full-time PTAs in the East North Central area of the
Midwest is $37,000
The Median income of full-time PTAs in the West North Central area of the
Midwest is $33,140
The Median income of full-time PTAs with 1-3 years of experience is
$34,000
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13.  Employment of physical therapist assistants expected to grow much
faster than the average through the year 2010
 The large baby-boom generation is entering the prime age for heart
attacks and strokes

 Medical developments should permit an increased percentage of trauma
victims to survive, creating added demand for therapy services.
 “Physical therapist assistant is listed in the Top 100 Occupation List as
number 69th , with a 41.1% increase anticipated between 2000-2010
 Job outlook for physical therapist assistants is described as “Very Good”.
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14.  PT’s, PTA’s active and retired
number approximately 5000
 Largest of any APTA
component in 2006
 PTA’s comprise 8% of the
Section or 400 members
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15.  Marilyn Moffat Foundation in Geriatric
Physical Therapy Achievement in geriatric
physical therapy research and practice
specific to geriatric care and rehab.
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16.  As the population ages, so
does the need for those trained in
the specialized care of the elderly
patient as it applies to the
physical therapy and its
treatments required for quality of
life and independent living
activities. 16

17.  GERIATRICSFOR-SPECIALISTS INITIATIVE (GSI)
 Increasing Geriatrics Expertise in Surgical and Medical Specialties
 Howell, Trevor H. (January 1987), "Avicenna and His Regimen of
Old Age", Age and Ageing 16: 58–9, doi:10.1093/ageing/16.1.58
,PMID3551552
http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmi
d=3551552
 Howell TH (1972). "Avicenna and the care of the aged".
Gerontologist 12 (4): 424–6. PMID 4569393
 Pitskhelauri GZ, Dzhorbenadze DA (1970). "[Gerontology and
geriatrics in the works of Abu Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna) (on the 950th
anniversary of the manuscript, Canon of Medical Science)]" (in
Russian). Sov Zdravookhr 29 (10): 68–71. PMID 4931547
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