Paliatívna medicína a liečba bolesti 2e/2015

Geriatric palliative care – case report

The need for palliative care in elderly population, i. e. 65 years and older, is increasing. It has to do with aging of population as well as a natural increase of the number of geriatric patients suffering with progressive and terminal diseases. In an advance stage they become an indication for palliative care which also includes the terminal care. Geriatric palliative care has its specific characteristics that differentiate it from the typical understanding of palliative care represented by an oncological patient in a productive age with ones stable comorbidity. The article focuses on a case of an older patient, which points out the heterogeneity of the problem of the geriatric palliative medicine, which is caused by combination of involution changes, a parallel disease of several vital organ systems, cognitive and functional deficit, presence of geriatric syndroms. An important factors are also limited possibilities of treatment in polymorbid patients and in changes of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs.

Keywords: geriatric patient, geriatric palliative care.