The Great Geriatric Syndromes and the Immobility Syndrome

The objectives of this chapter are to contextualise the immobility syndrome in the evolution and history of geriatrics and to demonstrate that the definition of ‘immobility’ requires adjustments and clarifications for better clinical practice. To do this, the history, concept, and characteristics of geriatric syndromes are briefly reviewed, and some specific properties to better define when a syndrome is geriatric are described, among them: self-perpetuation, linear progression, contagiousness, and expansiveness. Then, the ‘immobility syndrome’ is reviewed, and the strengths and weaknesses of the definition of ‘immobility’ are presented from a clinical and scientific research point of view.