Geriatrics comes from the Greek geron, which means “old man”. It designates the medicine of the elderly and is devoted to diseases due to aging. This is a rapidly growing health sector due to demographic change.

The objectives of this medical specialty, in which patient care is comprehensive, are to maintain or, if necessary, restore the functional autonomy of the elderly.

It should be noted that geriatrics are often associated with gerontology, which is interested in the study of human aging in the broad sense, and in particular in biological, psychological, sociological, demographic or even public health phenomena linked to aging.

The pathologies affecting the elderly are for the most part identical to those affecting the youngest, but most of them occur more often. Note that this increase in the frequency of illnesses is linked to the gradual decrease in the immune system.

The geriatrician therefore has multiple ailments to treat. These include:

• sensory deficits, such as deafness or low vision;
• falls and trauma, which can have more serious consequences than at an earlier age (for example, fracture of the neck of the femur);
• neurological diseases, such as dementia;
• cardiovascular and respiratory pathologies;
• bone demineralization and joint wear;
• nutritional disorders;
• or even sleep disorders.

Geriatrics is not directly defined by the age of its patients. However, it most often concerns those over 65 and the main challenges of this specialty target those over 80.

The geriatrician is the specialist for the elderly. It is moreover the specificity of the population he treats that makes him a specialist.

Geriatricians most often work in hospital services or EHPAD (accommodation establishment for dependent elderly people, also called specialized retirement homes). In these EHPADs, geriatricians can play a coordinating role between families and the different categories of caregivers.

To reach a diagnosis and treat his patient, the geriatrician may have to perform a number of examinations. Let us quote for example:

• a basic hearing assessment;
• un electrocardiogram ;
• or the measurement of blood pressure;

But he calls on the appropriate specialist in the event of the need for more in-depth examination (s) or expertise. For example, he may ask an ENT (Otorhinolaryngologist) for a more precise hearing assessment, or a cardiologist to do a cardiac ultrasound.

The consultation with a geriatrician does not involve any particular risks for the patient.

Geriatrician training in France

To become a geriatrician, you must obtain a diploma of complementary specialized studies (DESC) in geriatrics. This is a so-called type II DESC, lasting three years.

To do this, you must first hold a DES (diploma of specialized studies), namely the diploma that the student obtains at the end of his internship:

• after having completed 6 years of medical study;
• and after having passed the national classifying tests at the end of 6th year, which allow access to the boarding school.

Finally, to be able to practice and carry the title of doctor, the student must also defend a research thesis.

Note that there are several DES which allow you to apply for the DESC in geriatrics. Let us quote in alphabetical order:

• cardiology and vascular disease;
• endocrinology and metabolism;
• Gastroenterology and hepatology;
• dermatology and venereology;
• hematology;
• general medicine ;
• internal Medicine ;
• physical medicine and rehabilitation;
• nephrology;
• neurology;
• oncology;
• pneumology;
• psychiatry;
• rheumatology;
• public health and social medicine.

Geriatrician training hasu Quebec

To become a geriatrician, you must follow a geriatric residency:

• this lasts 2 years and is integrated after 3 years of residency in internal medicine;
• before specializing by integrating a residency, the student must follow a doctorate of the 1st cycle in medicine, which lasts 4 or 5 years:

Prepare the visit

To find a geriatrician:

• in Quebec, you can consult the website of the association of geriatric physicians of Quebec³, which offers a directory of its members;
• in France, via the website of the Ordre des médecinsâ ?? ´.