Case Studies in Geriatric Medicine condenses a rapidly growing body of knowledge about aging and geriatric care. The intent of this volume is to reach clinicians at all levels of experience – to intercept the student before nonage-adjusted principles become too firmly imbedded, and to enhance the well-honed skills of the experienced health care provider. The case-based learning approach will propel the reader to think about the total patient, to consider the medical as well as the psychosocial, ethical, and complex interdisciplinary aspects of caring for elderly patients.

Cases are identified by the patient's symptom or syndrome, so the reader can arrive at “the right answer” through a process of question and answer. Cases are grouped by syndrome category (for example, early, moderate, and late dementia; hypothermia and hyperthermia), and categories or individual cases may be studied in or out of sequence as desired. The question and answer format will serve as a skill enhancer and a supplemental guide for geriatric certifying examinations, and hopefully will make the learning process enjoyable. Current and some “classic” references are provided throughout for additional reading.

As the body of knowledge has expanded, basic geriatrics principles have endured. Awareness of these principles is essential to the mastery of geriatric medicine.

Chronologic and biologic age are not well matched

While some people are “old at 18,” many 90-year-olds appear or act in ways that are surprisingly youthful.