[Secondary prevention from the viewpoint of the geriatric specialist]

Secondary prevention is of importance when the patient is already suffering from a serious disease, e.g., from arterial obstruction causing a stroke or an amputation, from a hip fracture or other diseases that might threaten his independence. Secondary prevention covers a wide field of topics. First of all, the patient must recover from his acute disease. It is important to avoid complications which are not specific for the disease, but are typical for a bedridden old person (decubital ulcer, dehydration and others). Prevention also means to avoid recurrence of the same disease as well as complications that frequently occur during the clinical course and may influence the outcome (spasticity in stroke patients, muscular calcification following hip replacement). Frequently, old persons do not completely recover following serious disease, they are limited in their daily activities and their capability to leave home. Secondary prevention tries to fight isolation; the patient should live a meaningful life.