GERIATRIC CENTERS AND THEIR ROLE IN MEETING THE HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF OLDER PEOPLE

Abstract

With the rapid aging of the population, today's health care systems are facing a growing need for effective and innovative approaches to medical care for the elderly people. In this context, geriatric centers are an important element in the system of care for the older generation. With the aim to assess the role and functions of nurses in providing health care in geriatric centers and to evaluate the performance of geriatric centers in providing end-of-life care to older people, this study was aimed at deepening the understanding of the role of geriatric centers as health care resources for older people, and an efficacy analysis of their methods in the context of modern challenges in the health care industry. Using general clinical methods, which included collecting history of present disease, physical examination and special geriatric methods, we have analyzed the data on 345 patients. Retrospective and prospective data was used to study the frequency of and reasons for admissions to geriatric facilities, and to evaluate the quality of treatment and care. The object of research included patients of geriatric centers aged 65 years and above, and the specific features in organization of care in geriatric centers. The subject of research was the role of nursing process in population-wide geriatric services, the methods of geriatric support and rehabilitation, and the role of geriatric centers in providing end-of-life care to older people. We evaluated geriatric centers based on several indicators such as the frequency of visits, length of stay, success of medical procedures, and patient and family satisfaction. The analysis of the data confirms the significance of geriatric care and rehabilitation activities for achieving optimal functional recovery in elderly patients.