Outpatient Geriatric Evaluation and Management

As individuals age, the accumulation of illnesses combined with the age-related loss of physiological reserve leads to declining function and resultant disability. While aging cannot be reversed and most chronic illnesses cannot be cured, a pragmatic approach based on health and function can improve the quality of life of the older person. This approach—comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA)—is a multidimensional, interdisciplinary diagnostic process designed to determine an older person’s medical, psychosocial, cognitive, environmental, and functional problems with the intention of developing an overall plan for treatment and long-term follow-up [1].