Geriatrics

"There are many ailments peculiar to the approach of old age which require special medical treatment, or the application of particular measures in which we homeopaths are often rewarded for the timely use of appropriate remedies, and the prompt employment of judicious means by seeing the flickering flame rekindle and valuable life considerably prolonged"

"We do not count a man's years until he has nothing to count".

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

Geriatrics was separated from internal medicine as a separate entity as pediatrics separation from adult internal medicine and the same as neonatology separation from pediatrics.

Elderly female in residential care home

There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician. Rather, this is determined by a profile of the typical problems that geriatrics focuses on.

The term geriatrics differs from gerontology. This is the study of the aging process itself. The term comes from the Greek geron meaning "old man" and iatros meaning "healer". However "Geriatrics" is considered by some as "Medical Gerontology".

Scope

Differences between adult and geriatric medicine

Geriatrics differs from adult medicine in many respects. The body of an elderly is substantially different physiologically from that of an adult. Old age is the period of manifestation of decline of the various organ systems in the body. This varies according to various reserves in the organs (e.g. Smokers consume their respiratory system reserve early and rapidly).

Many people cannot differentiate between Disease and Aging effects (e.g. renal impairment may be a part of aging but renal failure is not also urinary incontinence is not part of normal aging). Geriatricians aim at treating the disease and decreasing the effect of aging on the elderly life. Years of training and experience (above and beyond basic medical training) goes into recognizing the difference between normal aging and what is actually pathological.

The decline in physiological reserve in organs make elderly very vulnerable to have diseases (as dehydration from a mild gastroenteritis) and liable to have complications from mild problems (Fever in elderly may cause confusion leading to a fall and fracture of neck of femur).

Functional ability, dependence and quality of life issues are of greater concern to geriatricians perhaps than to adult physicians.

Treating an elderly is not like treating an adult. A major difference between geriatrics and adult medicine is that elderly sometimes cannot make decisions for themselves. The issues of power of attorney, privacy, legal responsibility, advance directives and informed consent must always be considered geriatric procedure. Elder's abuse is also a major concern in this age group. In a sense, geriatricians often have to "treat" the caregivers and sometimes, the family, rather than just the elder.

Elderly have specific issues as regard medications. Elderly particularly are subjected to polypharmacy due to many causes. Some of the causes are that some elderly have multiple medical disorders, some elderly use many herb & OTCs, and some adult physicians just prescribe medications to their specific specialty not reviewing other medications used by the elder. The polypharmacy may result in many drug interactions and may be some drug adverse reactions. Also drugs are excreted mostly by kidneys or liver which maybe impaired in elderly and medication might need adjustment (Renal or Hepatic).

Also presentations of diseases in elderly may be vague and non-specific or present with delirium of falls (Pneumonia may present with fever, low grade fever, dehydration, confusion or falls) . Also some elderly like children may find difficulty expressing their symptoms especially if the disease is active and causing confusion or if they have cognitive impairment. Delirium in elderly may be caused from a minor problem as constipation to a serious life threatening problem as myocardial infarction.

Geriatrics giants and elderly diseases

'Geriatric giants' are immobility, instability, incontinence and impaired intellect/memory. Health issues in older adults may also include elderly care, delirium, use of multiple medications, impaired vision and hearing.

Psychology of life

"Youth is not a time of life - it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, vigor of the emotions, it is a freshness of the deep spring of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over love of ease. I f you do not wish to grow old, quit thinking and acting as if you were aging. Instead of walking drooped shoulders and with a slow dragging gait, straiten up and put elasticity into your steps.

Work, kindness, love, sympathy, helpfulness, interest, there are the eternal youth essences. These never age, and if you make friends with them, they will act a leaven in you life, enriching your nature, sweetening and ennobling your character and prolonging your youth even to the century mark".

Causes of illness and early aging

We are eating foods modified by the use of sprays, dusts, washes and other physiological diseases and food grown with use of synthetic fertilizers. We are taking synthetic vitamins and our children are being immunized against small pox, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, typhoid fever etc. According to all our crude tests, these preparations are all free from any or all disease manifestations. All these things help to increase the life span but are leaving and spreading a greatly increased number of suppressions with a marked increase of neurosis and accompany diseases.

Homeopathy

(If you are unwell give homeopathy a trial, and it will not disappoint you. It will save your time, trouble and money. Further it is a fact that in patients with cardio-vascular heart conditions, hypertension and other local disorders, good homeopathic prescribing can prolong lives and keep you working longer and give you more comfort than any other method of treatment. It is again a fact that the people who take homeopathic treatment regularly in life are less likely to develop heart troubles or at least will develop much later in life).

Ambra griesia: Great remedy for the aged with the impairment of all functions, weakness, coldness and numbness, usually of single parts, fingers, arms etc. Thinking difficult in the morning with old people.

Anacardium Orientale: It is a remedy for those who are exhausted, suffered, be it after serious illness, sexual excesses or the breaking down processes in old age. The greedy,  suspicious, malicious old man can use this remedy for all his physical and mental symptoms since amelioration through eating is indicated and so strongly leading this symptom.

Antimonium Tartricum: In old people who have catarrh of the chest for years when every sharp cold spell in the winter brings on catarrh of the chest with thick white mucus attended with great dysponea , must sit up and be fanned, can not lie down, because of the difficulty of breathing and filling up of the chest. Ant T will ease him over a number of these attacks before he dies. When the expectoration is yellow Ant T will tide him over a good many winters.

Bacillinum: Lungs of old people with chronic catarrhal condition and enfeebled pulmonary circulation.

Baryta Carbonica: It is adapted to the aged with mental and physical weakness, mental exhaustion, stupor, groaning, murmuring, childish behaviour of old people.

Crotalus Horridus:  Nutritional trouble of old age. It is useful in senile dementia with forgetfulness, of figure, names of places. Antipathy to his family; he imagines himself as if surrounded by foes or by hideous animals.

Hyoscyamus: Spasmodic cough in old people at nigh from continuously from tickling in throat as if palate were too long.

Hydrastis: Bronchitis with thick yellow tenacious stringy phlegm in exhausted old people.

Senega: Profuse secretion of mucus in the lungs of old people with loose rattling cough.

Agaricus Muscarious: In old people with indolent circulation of drunkards especially for their headaches.

GENERALS - OLD AGE - old people; in

AMBR. Ammc. Anac. Ant-c. ant-t. Arg-n. Arn. Ars.. AUR. BAR-C. Bar-m. Bry.. Calc-p.. cann-i.. Carb-an. Carb-v.. Caust. Cham. COCA cocc. coff. Colch. Con.. Fl-ac. Graph. Hydr. Iod. Irid-met. Iris. KALI-C. kreos. LACH. LYC. Mill. nat-c. Nat-m.. Nit-ac.. OP. Ov. Phos.. SEC. SEL. Seneg.. Sil.. TEUCR. Verat..

GENERALS - OLD AGE - premature

Agn. Ambr.. Aur. Bar-c. Con.. Cupr.. Fl-ac.. Kali-c.. LACH. SEL. Vip.

GENERALS - OLD AGE - old people; in - bachelors; old

con.

GENERALS - OLD AGE - old people; in - maids; old

bov. cocc. con. lil-t. mag-m. plat.

GENERALS - OLD AGE - old people; in - men; old

bar-c. sabal Sel.

GENERALS - OLD AGE - old people; in - women; old - thin, scrawny

sec.

GENERALS - ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

alum. cordyc. hell. nux-m. zinc.

GENERALS - PARALYSIS - old people; in

Bar-c. Con. Kali-c. OP.

GENERALS - WEAKNESS - old people; in

Ambr. BAR-C.. Con. Cur.. Nux-m.. Phos.. Sel. Sul-ac.

GENERALS - EMACIATION - old people; in

Ambr. anac. BAR-C. carb-v. chin. chinin-s. Fl-ac. IOD. LYC. nit-ac. op. rhus-t. Sec. Sel. Sil.

GENERALS - HEAT - lack of vital heat - old people; in

alum. ambr.

GENERALS - ARTERIOSCLEROSIS - old people; in

bar-c. stroph-h.

GENERALS - TREMBLING - Externally - old people; in

alum. ambr. aur. aven. bar-c. calc. cann-i. cocain. con. kali-c. merc. op. phos. plb. plb-act. sil. stront-c. sulph. zinc.

MIND - OLD people agg.

bar-c.

MIND - CHILDISH behavior - old people; in

BAR-C.

MIND - DEMENTIA - senilis

Ambr. Aur-i. Bar-c.. Con. Crot-h. Cupr.

MIND - MENTAL EXERTION - agg. - impossible - old people; in

Ambr.

MIND - INSANITY - old people; in

bell. ign. nat-m. nux-v. sep. sulph.

MIND - SADNESS - old age; in

Aur..

MIND - FEAR - old; of getting

lach. lyc. marb-w. sep.

MIND - DELIRIUM TREMENS - old emaciated persons, in

OP.

MIND - MOANING - old age, in

Bar-c.

BLADDER - URINATION - involuntary - night - old people

apoc. benz-ac. kali-p. sec.

PROSTATE GLAND - SWELLING - old people; in

aloe BAR-C. Benz-ac. Con. DIG. ferr-pic. Iod. nux-v. prost. Sabal SEL. Staph. sulph.

SKIN - ITCHING - old people; in

alum. arg-n. ars. bar-act. bar-c. con. dol. dulc. fago. fl-ac. kreos. mag-p. merc. Mez. nat-sil. olnd. op. sul-ac. sulph. urt-u.

STOMACH - INDIGESTION - old people

Abies-n. ant-c. ars. Bar-c. caps. carb-v. chin. Chinin-s. Cic. fl-ac. Hydr. juni-c. kali-c. nux-m. nux-v. pop.

HEARING - IMPAIRED - old people

bar-c. Cic. kali-chl. kali-m. mag-c. merc-d. Petr. phos.

RECTUM - CONSTIPATION - old people

ambr. Ant-c. Bar-c. Bry. Calc-p. Con.. Lach. lyc. Nux-v. Op. Phos. Phyt. Sel. Sulph.

SLEEP - SLEEPLESSNESS - old people; in

Acon. ars. Bar-c. carc. op. passi. phos. sulph. SYPH.

VERTIGO - OLD PEOPLE; in

Ambr. arn. Ars-i. Bar-c. Cupr. RHUS-T. sec. Sin-n.

Blood - ANEURISM,  of large arteries

Acon.. Aur. Bar-c. Bar-m. Bell. CACT. CALC.. Calen.. Carb-v.. CUPR. Dig. Ferr-p.. Kali-i. Lach.. Lyc.. SPIG. Spong. Sulph. Verat-v.

HEAD - APOPLEXY

BAR-C. Bell. COCC. CROT-H. Glon. HYDR-AC.. Ip.. NUX-V.

COUGH - OLD people

Am-c. Ambr. Ammc.. Ant-t. Bar-c.. Carb-v.. DULC. Psor.. Seneg.

RESPIRATION - ASTHMATIC - old people; in

Ambr. ARS.. Bar-c.. Carb-v. Coca Con. Seneg.

RECTUM - DIARRHEA - old people

ANT-C. ant-t. ARS.. Bry. Carb-v. Chin.. Fl-ac. GAMB. NIT-AC..

Winter and Senility

The climate conditions of winter are highly favorable for the development of all kinds of weakness and tendencies to organic disease, especially of the brain, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and liver. Facts on a large scale prove that defects in these organs manifest themselves most frequently and severely in cold weather. The whole constitution is lowered by the conditions of winter, and, to an extent devitalized. The aged must be helped by the provisions of heating apparatus. The room temperature must be maintained as normal during winters.

GENERALS - HEAT - lack of vital heat - old people; in

alum. ambr.

GENERALS - HEAT - lack of vital heat - operation; from

stront-c.

GENERALS - HEAT - lack of vital heat - pain; during

agar. alum-sil. ars. caust. dulc. led. mosch. sil.

Note: The abbreviations of remedies are the standard ones as found in the standard repertories.

Refereces:

• From Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia.
• Various Standard Homeopathic Materia Medicas and Therapeutic books.
• Synthetic Repertory RADAR 10.31.