Integrated care for older patients

Abstract

In old age, usually defined as from age 75 onwards, there is an accumulation of diseases and risk factors, the socalled “cumulative complexity”. This complexity makes the care of the geriatric patient a challenge. Multimorbidity, i.e., the co-occurrence of two or more chronic medical conditions in one person, correlates with age, and currently represents the most common “disease pattern” found in older people. Multimorbidity is characterized by complex interactions of co-existing diseases where a medical approach focused on a single disease does not suffice. New models of care for these patients are needed. In this Chapter, we discuss key factors required for integrated care services for geriatric patients, and describe several successful Integrated Care Models as well as the potential role of new information technologies.