Caring for Geriatric Patients: A Family Guide

Start with a care plan

Write down conditions, medicines, appointments, daily needs and who does what. Review it monthly.

Daily routines

Keep regular meal, sleep and activity times. Encourage movement and fluids and watch skin, bowels, mood and appetite.

Communicate with respect

Speak directly to your parent, offer choices and explain what is happening. Dignity matters as much as safety.

Look after yourself

Share tasks, take breaks, use respite care and join a caregiver group. Burnout helps no one.

Know when to get more help

Frequent falls, confusion, weight loss, wounds or your own exhaustion are signs to bring in nursing or attendant support.

Common geriatric syndromes

Geriatricians talk about 'syndromes' that cut across diagnoses: frailty, falls, delirium, incontinence, pressure sores, malnutrition and polypharmacy. Recognising them helps to target care. Frailty, for example, is a state of reduced reserve; it responds to exercise, protein, medicine review and social support. Delirium, a sudden confusion, needs urgent assessment for infection, pain and medicines. Incontinence is treatable in many cases with timed toileting, exercises and medical review.

Do not accept these problems as inevitable parts of ageing.

End-of-life care and comfort

When illness is advanced, the focus may shift to comfort, dignity and time with loved ones. Palliative care teams manage pain, breathlessness, nausea, anxiety and other symptoms, and support families. Discuss preferences about place of care, resuscitation and hospital admission. Provide mouth care, gentle touch, music and presence. Spiritual and cultural needs matter. Support for the family continues after death, through bereavement care.

Comfort and dignity are the heart of care at every stage.

Working with doctors and the health system

Keep a folder of reports, prescriptions and discharge summaries. Prepare questions for each visit and bring all medicines. Ask for a summary of decisions. If there are several specialists, ask the family doctor or geriatrician to coordinate. Be polite and persistent: ask for explanations, second opinions and clear plans. Use telemedicine for follow-ups when travel is hard. Advocate calmly and consistently for your relative.

You are an important member of the care team.

Respect, dignity and decision-making

Older people have the right to make decisions about their own lives, even when others disagree, as long as they have the capacity to do so. Offer information and options, listen to their views and respect their choices. If capacity is reduced, involve them as much as possible, and make decisions in their best interests following their known values.

Avoid treating older adults like children. Use their preferred name, speak to them directly and explain what you are doing.

Dignity is preserved by privacy, choice, cleanliness and kindness.

What makes geriatric care different

Older patients often have several conditions at once, take many medicines, and have changes in the way their bodies handle drugs. Symptoms can be vague: a urinary infection may show up as confusion, heart failure as tiredness, and depression as poor appetite. Geriatric care looks at the whole person: physical health, mental state, function, social support and wishes. A comprehensive geriatric assessment, done by a team, improves outcomes in hospital and at home.

The core of day-to-day care

Nutrition and fluids: regular meals, protein, drinks through the day. Hygiene and skin: washing, moisturising, checking pressure areas. Continence: a toilet schedule, easy access and dignified products if needed. Mobility: regular movement, supervised walking, exercises. Medicines: on time, with a record. Sleep and mood: routine, daylight, company. Safety: fall prevention, supervision when confused. Communication: eye contact, simple words, patience, respect.

Planning ahead and respecting wishes

Talk early about what matters: where your relative wants to be cared for, which treatments they would or would not want, who should make decisions if they cannot. Write these wishes down and share them with doctors. Palliative care, which focuses on comfort and quality of life, can be offered alongside treatment, not only at the end. Planning reduces conflict and distress for everyone.

Setting up the care team

A good team may include a family doctor or geriatrician, a nurse, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a dietician, a pharmacist, a social worker and trained attendants, plus family and neighbours. Name one person to coordinate and keep records. Hold a short family meeting once a month to review the plan, share tasks and discuss concerns.

Recognising when something is wrong

New confusion, sudden weakness, falls, loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, breathlessness, swelling, a change in bowel or bladder habits, or increased sleepiness may signal infection, dehydration, heart problems or medicine effects. Act promptly: call the doctor, check vital signs, and seek emergency help for severe symptoms. Early action prevents many hospital admissions.