[Geriatrics: an absolute necessity]

The medical care for elderly people could be greatly improved. If no specific attention is paid immediately, namely through the various training courses and by way of further and part-time schooling, then this medical care will remain unsatisfactory. This situation worsens continually due to the growing number of elderly people and, within this group, a much higher rate of very aged people. Increasing the care in institutions is altogether unsatisfactory. The problem should be dealt with structurally and the emphasis placed upon prevention and early-diagnosis. There is an urgent need for an integrated method, keeping in mind the limits of the elderly person, from the physical, psychological and social aspects. This demands teamwork in a multidisciplinary system inside as well as outside the institutions. It demands a thorough knowledge of geriatrics based upon gerontology. Geriatricians are urgently needed in this development together with doctors in nursing homes, general practitioners and specialists, so that the necessary care may be established as quickly as possible.