The Importance of Being Elderly—Some Thoughts on the Care of Geriatric Patients

As the American population progressively ages, the number of elderly who suffer from a variety of serious illnesses is increasing. These days, it is not uncommon for me to be caring for a number of patients 80 years old or older in our coronary care unit. The evident and potential frailty of these individuals can make their care complex.1 The medical literature in recent years has had many reports on differences in disease presentation, therapeutic strategies, and outcomes for geriatric patients. The editors of The American Journal of Medicine are acutely cognizant of the demographic changes in the US and the effect that the graying of our population is having on medical practice. Because of the increasing importance of geriatrics for the daily practice of internal medicine and its subspecialties, the Journal’s editors have decided to direct more attention to topics related to the care of the elderly. Consequently, we have promoted Michael W. Rich, MD from Subspecialty Editor for geriatrics to Associate Editor, with geriatrics as his focus.

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— — Joseph S. Alpert, MD, editor-in-chief, The American Journal of Medicine

This article originally appeared in October 2011 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.