Jana Hoozová, Štefan Krajčík
Prognoses expect that by 2050 at least 22 % of the population will be represented by elderly people. The biggest growth is expected in the group of 80-year-old and older. We already notice a phenomenon of geriatrization of medicine where the majority of clientele in many clinical areas comprises of elderly people. Geriatrics is a specialized field of medicine that focuses on health care for elderly people, i.e. persons older than 65. As a medical area it provides complex care, taking into consideration age-associated changes in organism, multimorbidity, fragility, and low adaptation ability of an older organism. It also takes into consideration functional status and potential of elderly people and respects the influence of social factors on their state of health, as well as social consequences of diseases. As the number of the elderly grows, medical personnel, who provide care for an ill senior, need education and specialization on a general and specialization level.