9 Common Preventable Health Concerns in Geriatric Patients
As the population ages, understanding preventable health concerns in geriatric patients becomes increasingly crucial. This comprehensive guide, drawing on insights from leading experts in geriatric care, explores nine key areas where proactive measures can significantly improve the quality of life for older adults. From medication management to combating loneliness, these evidence-based strategies offer practical solutions for common challenges faced by the elderly.
- Prevent Medication Mismanagement Through Regular Reviews
- Lifestyle Changes Reduce Alzheimer's Risk
- Strength Training Decreases Falls in Elderly
- Reposition Regularly to Avoid Pressure Sores
- Combat Age-Related Muscle Loss with Exercise
- Address Cognitive Decline with Hormone Testing
- Delay Osteoarthritis with Joint-Friendly Activities
- Combat Loneliness by Teaching Others
- Schedule Nutritional Checkups to Prevent Malnutrition
Prevent Medication Mismanagement Through Regular Reviews
One common health concern I often see in geriatric patients is medication mismanagement, also known as polypharmacy-related complications. As older adults typically manage multiple chronic conditions, they're often prescribed several medications by different specialists. Over time, this can lead to adverse drug interactions, duplicate therapies, or unnecessary prescriptions, resulting in confusion, dizziness, cognitive changes, or even hospitalizations. Unfortunately, many patients and families may not recognize that some symptoms are medication-related rather than part of the aging process.
A highly effective proactive step older adults can take is to schedule regular medication reviews with their primary care provider or pharmacist. These reviews help ensure that each medication is still necessary, dosed correctly, and safe to take in combination with others. During these check-ins, providers can assess for side effects, streamline the medication list, and even deprescribe where appropriate. Additionally, using a single pharmacy and maintaining an up-to-date medication list can greatly reduce the risk of dangerous drug interactions.
Medication safety is a vital part of healthy aging. Taking charge of one's prescriptions not only helps prevent harmful effects but also improves overall quality of life. By staying informed and engaged in their care, older adults can significantly reduce the risks associated with polypharmacy and maintain better health outcomes as they age.
Lifestyle Changes Reduce Alzheimer's Risk
Intensive lifestyle changes can significantly impact cognitive function as people age. A substantial number of Alzheimer's disease cases may be preventable. While this might sound shocking, it's supported by research. A combination of a whole-food, plant-based diet, 150 to 300 minutes of exercise per week, quality sleep, mindfulness or meditation, avoiding risky substances, and staying socially connected has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Just 30 minutes of daily exercise may decrease dementia risk by more than 50%. Ensuring you get five to six servings of certain fruits and vegetables each day has been linked to an additional 25 to 30% reduction. These are staggering numbers when compared with the cost and limitations of many dementia medications.
Dr. Dean Ornish has demonstrated that you can slow and even improve cognitive function in people with early-stage dementia (mild cognitive impairment) through aggressive lifestyle changes.
Strength Training Decreases Falls in Elderly
One problem I see again and again in patients over 65 years old is preventable falls. This is usually due to progressive muscle loss (sarcopenia) and declining balance. The evidence suggests that when muscle mass drops below a certain threshold, even a minor trip can end in a hip fracture, hospitalization, and complications that result in a patient becoming dependent on others.
The simplest treatment is to engage in strength and balance training. Just 20-30 minutes, three times a week, of chair squats, resistance-band rows, and tandem-stance walks can rebuild leg power, improve proprioception, and reduce fall risk by up to 25%. The sooner we prescribe movement, the longer our patients stay on their feet and out of the hospital.
Julio Baute, MD
Medical Doctor | Clinical Content & Evidence-Based Medicine Consultant
Reposition Regularly to Avoid Pressure Sores
Pressure sores are a common health concern in geriatric patients, especially in those with limited mobility. They are particularly distressing because they are one of the most preventable conditions in the elderly.
These sores are common over bony prominences like the heels and sacrum, and they develop when prolonged pressure on the skin reduces blood flow to a particular area, leading to tissue damage.
Older adults or their caregivers should be educated on regular repositioning, at least every two hours, to relieve pressure on vulnerable areas.
For persons with paralysis or other conditions that limit mobility, the use of specialized mattresses like water beds is very beneficial. It's also important to keep the skin clean and moisturized, reducing the risk of these sores.
Preventing pressure sores is more cost-effective and efficient than managing them, and there are very simple steps to avoid them.
Combat Age-Related Muscle Loss with Exercise
One common health concern I see in geriatric patients, especially in oncology, is sarcopenia, age-related muscle loss. This condition not only affects mobility but also impacts recovery, immune function, and treatment tolerance. It's often preventable with proactive strength training and adequate protein intake.
I encourage older adults to incorporate resistance exercises and prioritize high-quality, easily digestible protein at each meal. These measures help preserve muscle mass, support metabolic health, and improve outcomes if illness arises.
Prevention in this case is truly powerful medicine.
Address Cognitive Decline with Hormone Testing
The Most Preventable Crisis I See: Cognitive Decline Disguised as "Normal Aging"
The most heartbreaking—and preventable—concern I see in my geriatric patients is cognitive decline that gets dismissed as "just getting older." What conventional medicine calls "age-related cognitive decline" is often actually treatable mitochondrial dysfunction, hormone deficiencies, and inflammatory brain damage that has been building for decades.
I see 70-year-olds whose families are told "this is normal" when their loved one can't remember conversations from yesterday. But when we run comprehensive testing, we consistently find correctable issues: severely low testosterone and estrogen (yes, even in men), vitamin B12 deficiency, toxic heavy metal accumulation, chronic infections, and most critically—what Dr. Dayan Goodenowe's research has shown us—severely depleted plasmalogens, the specialized fats that literally build your brain structure.
The One Proactive Step That Changes Everything:
Stop accepting "senior moments" as inevitable and demand comprehensive hormone testing—not just basic thyroid (TSH), but full sex hormones, growth hormone markers, and cellular energy indicators. Research has shown us that hormone optimization can literally reverse brain aging when started before significant damage occurs.
Delay Osteoarthritis with Joint-Friendly Activities
One of the most common health concerns I see in my geriatric patients is osteoarthritis, and surprisingly, it's not limited to the very elderly. In my clinical practice, I've encountered thousands of cases, many presenting as early as age 50, particularly involving weight-bearing joints like the knees and hips. It's often a result of years of mechanical stress, sedentary lifestyle, excess weight, or untreated joint injuries.
While we can't stop aging, we can significantly delay or reduce the severity of osteoarthritis through proactive measures. One of the most powerful steps older adults can take is engaging in regular, joint-friendly physical activity, especially low-impact strength training and flexibility exercises. These help strengthen the muscles surrounding joints, improve alignment, and reduce mechanical load on cartilage. Walking, swimming, running, knee strengthening exercises, and muscle strengthening heavy exercises are tools to help you and keep you away from osteoarthritis.
Weight management is equally vital. Even modest weight loss can drastically reduce joint strain; every 1 kg of weight loss removes roughly 4 kg of pressure from the knees.
Nutritional choices also play a role; a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods (omega-3s, antioxidants, adequate protein, and vitamin D) may support joint health and reduce systemic inflammation.
Finally, early intervention is key. Many patients ignore early joint discomfort, and some do self-medication and use over-the-counter painkillers, visiting the concerned doctor when it's too late. With awareness and consistent action, osteoarthritis can often be delayed and its impact minimized, even in genetically or occupationally predisposed individuals.
Combat Loneliness by Teaching Others
One of the most insidious and preventable health concerns I see in my geriatric patients isn't a physical ailment—it's a crisis of purpose brought on by profound loneliness.
Social isolation acts like a potent toxin to the aging brain, often accelerating cognitive decline and triggering deep depressive episodes that are frequently mistaken for normal aging. We are fundamentally social beings; when the daily rhythm of connection, relevance, and being needed fades, the mind can begin to wither. It's a silent condition that can be as damaging as any chronic illness.
The most powerful proactive step an older adult can take is to find a way not just to be social, but to be needed. I advise my patients to find someone to teach. It could be mentoring a young person in their former profession, teaching a grandchild a skill like baking or woodworking, or volunteering to read to children at a local library. This reframes their role from a passive recipient of care to an active giver of wisdom.
This act of teaching provides structure, a reason to engage, and a powerful sense of mattering. It's the ultimate vitamin for the geriatric soul, fighting off the atrophy of isolation by reinforcing their value in the world.
Schedule Nutritional Checkups to Prevent Malnutrition
One common health concern I see in many of my older patients is malnutrition, and it often goes unnoticed. As people age, their appetites can change, medications may interfere with nutrient absorption, and, in some cases, they might not have easy access to balanced meals. This can lead to weight loss, fatigue, and even weakened immunity. Studies show that up to 60% of older adults admitted to hospitals are either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. That's a staggering number, especially considering how preventable it is with the right attention.
One proactive step older adults can take is to schedule regular nutritional checkups, just as they would for blood pressure or cholesterol. Working with a dietitian or primary care doctor to build a meal plan tailored to their needs and medications can make a significant difference. Small, consistent choices, such as staying hydrated and including enough protein, can go a long way in maintaining strength and quality of life.
