The Need

• Demographics and Dollars: Responding to the needs of an aging population will be the single most significant challenge facing our health system, and is cited as a major factor in health system re-structuring.
• Challenges in Assessment and Treatment: (Diagnostic Difficulties) The fundamental premise of specialised geriatric services is that much of the disease, disability and dependency in old age is preventable, treatable, or manageable. Seniors with complex health problems have unique needs and present specific challenges for accurate diagnosis and assessment. Inaccurate diagnoses may result in inappropriate treatment, leading in turn, to further unnecessary losses of health and independence, premature placement and unnecessarily long lengths of stay in acute care.