Geriatric health maintenance

Objective: To highlight articles pertaining to geriatric health maintenance and provide clinicians with current evidence supportive of or opposed to screening or treatment for various diseases and conditions. Method: We conducted a computer-assisted search of the relevant medical literature and summarized the results of pertinent studies in the elderly population. Results: The geriatric population is progressively increasing in numbers. Unfortunately, no consensus exists about health maintenance in this population. To date, the United States Preventive Services Task Force has made several recommendations about preventive services; however, they did not specifically focus on the geriatric age-group. We outline their guidelines and discuss our clinical practices in a wide variety of encounters with geriatric patients. Conclusion: The efficacy of many screening tests and interventions for preventing illness in elderly patients is unclear. As the general population continues to age, further research in this area will be important.