Current state of geriatric services in Georgia: education, policy gaps, and recommendations

Georgia, an upper-middle-income country in the South Caucasus, is experiencing a rapid demographic shift toward an older population. Despite improvements in life expectancy and reductions in mortality, the healthcare system remains underprepared to address the complex medical and social needs of older adults.

This mini-review synthesizes available information on geriatric education, workforce capacity, service provision, and the current state of geriatric research in Georgia. Findings are compared with neighboring countries and selected high-income European nations with established geriatric care systems, including hospital wards, outpatient clinics, and community-based programs.

Geriatric services in Georgia are limited. Medical education provides minimal exposure to geriatrics, postgraduate training is scarce, and dedicated hospital-based geriatric departments are largely absent. Nursing programs include basic geriatric modules, while short-term "Geriatric Assistant" courses offer practical skills for older adults care. Research focusing on older adults is sparse. In contrast, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Nordic countries maintain well-structured, multidisciplinary hospital and community geriatric services supported by formal education, continuous professional development, and active research networks. Regional neighbors vary, with Turkey showing the most comprehensive system, and Armenia and Azerbaijan in early stages of development.

Georgia urgently needs to integrate geriatrics into national health policy, strengthen workforce education, establish hospital and community geriatric services, and foster locally generated research. Learning from international models and aligning with frameworks such as the WHO Decade of Healthy Ageing can guide the development of a sustainable, patient-centered geriatric care system.