Caring for older adults requires more than treating individual diseases—it demands an understanding of aging, frailty, multimorbidity, functional decline, medication safety, and the personal goals that shape every clinical decision.
Textbook of Geriatric Medicine is a comprehensive, evidence-based clinical reference designed to help healthcare professionals assess and manage the complex health needs of aging adults. Beginning with the biology and physiological changes of aging, the book establishes a strong foundation for distinguishing normal aging from disease and applying this knowledge to individualized patient care.
Readers are guided through comprehensive geriatric assessment, frailty evaluation, pharmacology and deprescribing, fall prevention, delirium, dementia, sarcopenia, urinary incontinence, pressure injuries, and nutritional concerns. The text also provides detailed coverage of major chronic conditions affecting older adults, including hypertension, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, dyslipidemia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, osteoporosis, arthritis, chronic kidney disease, respiratory illness, cancer, and infections.
The book places particular emphasis on practical geriatric decision-making, including:
Applying comprehensive geriatric assessment to clinical practice
Recognizing and managing frailty and functional decline
Reducing medication-related harm through appropriate prescribing and deprescribing
Assessing falls, mobility, cognition, nutrition, and psychological health
Individualizing treatment for patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy
Managing perioperative risks and supporting rehabilitation
Improving hospital-to-home transitions and care coordination
Integrating palliative care, advance care planning, and medical ethics into treatment decisions
Designed for physicians, geriatricians, nurses, pharmacists, medical students, residents, rehabilitation professionals, and other healthcare practitioners, this textbook offers an extensive resource for delivering coordinated, patient-centered care throughout later life.