Which term refers to the medical specialty focusing on the health care needs of older adults?

Which term refers to the medical specialty focusing on the health care needs of older adults?

• A. Geriatrics
• B. Gerontology
• C. Geriatrics Nursing
• D. Geriatric Medicine

Answer: (A)

Geriatrics is the field that focuses on the health care needs of older adults. It centers on managing multiple health issues, polypharmacy, functional status, and the unique physiology of aging to keep older patients as healthy and independent as possible. Gerontology, by contrast, is the broader study of aging itself—covering biological, psychological, and social aspects—rather than its medical care. Geriatrics nursing refers to nursing care focused on older adults, while geriatric medicine is the medical specialty within internal medicine that some texts use interchangeably with geriatrics. When the question asks for the term representing the medical specialty addressing older adults’ health care needs, geriatrics is the standard, inclusive term.

Geriatrics is the field that focuses on the health care needs of older adults. It centers on managing multiple health issues, polypharmacy, functional status, and the unique physiology of aging to keep older patients as healthy and independent as possible. Gerontology, by contrast, is the broader study of aging itself—covering biological, psychological, and social aspects—rather than its medical care. Geriatrics nursing refers to nursing care focused on older adults, while geriatric medicine is the medical specialty within internal medicine that some texts use interchangeably with geriatrics. When the question asks for the term representing the medical specialty addressing older adults’ health care needs, geriatrics is the standard, inclusive term.