Geriatric medicine is Internal Medicine for older patients. It’s a different way of thinking about healthcare entirely. Most older adults are managing multiple conditions at once. They’re on multiple medications. The interactions between those medications can cause as much harm as the conditions themselves. And the relationship between symptoms and causes is rarely straightforward.
A fall might be about balance or it might be a medication side effect. Confusion might be early cognitive decline or it might be a urinary tract infection. Fatigue might be depression or it might be anaemia, or hypothyroidism, or medication-induced. Geriatric medicine is about sorting through that complexity carefully.
Good geriatric care is not about adding more interventions. Sometimes it’s about removing them.
How Dr. Bajpai Helps Patients suffering from Geriatric Issues?
Dr. Bajpai’s geriatric consultations are built around a comprehensive review every condition, every medication, and how the patient is actually functioning in daily life. She assesses for risks that standard appointments often miss: medication interactions, fall risk, early cognitive changes, nutritional status.
She works closely with patients and their families, making sure the care plan is practical and understood. For older adults who are managing multiple specialists, she provides the coordinating view making sure all the individual pieces of care add up to something that genuinely serves the patient.
Her goal is not just to manage diagnoses. It’s to maintain quality of life, independence, and function for as long as possible. That takes a different kind of attention and she provides it.
When Should You See a Specialist?
If any of these sound familiar, it’s worth booking a consultation:
- Multiple chronic conditions being managed by different specialists
- Five or more medications, with possible interactions or side effects
- Recent falls, or declining steadiness and balance
- Memory concerns in the patient or noticed by family
- Unexplained fatigue or reduced ability to manage daily activities
- Difficulty recovering from recent illness or hospitalisation
- Family concern about an older adult’s overall health and trajectory
Treatment Approach
The geriatric consultation is deliberately unhurried. It covers every condition, every medication, and how the patient’s day-to-day life is actually going not just what the most recent blood tests showed.
The medication review is a central part of every assessment. Dr. Bajpai identifies anything that could be reduced, stopped, or changed for something safer or better tolerated.
Practical guidance is given to the patient and to family members where appropriate on what to monitor, what to watch for, and when to come back.
The stakes in geriatric care are high because the margin for error is smaller. An inappropriate medication can cause a fall that leads to a hip fracture. Missed anaemia can cause cardiac decompensation. An unrecognised infection can spiral into sepsis rapidly in an older, frailer patient. On the other side, over-medicalisation too many medications, too many interventions reduces quality of life and increases harm. Good geriatric care finds the right balance. It prevents the preventable things, manages what needs managing, and doesn’t add burden where there’s no benefit. Regular specialist review for older adults with multiple conditions is not optional it’s genuinely protective.
FAQs
At what age should someone consider a geriatric assessment?
There’s no fixed threshold, but a comprehensive geriatric assessment is particularly valuable for adults over 70, those managing three or more chronic conditions, or anyone on five or more medications. It’s also worth considering after a significant health event a fall, a hospitalisation, a notable decline in function.
Can family members be present during the consultation?
Yes, and it’s often encouraged. Family members frequently have important observations about how the patient has been functioning that the patient themselves may not think to mention.
What is polypharmacy, and why is it a concern?
Polypharmacy refers to taking five or more medications simultaneously. As the number increases, the likelihood of drug interactions and side effects rises significantly. Dr. Bajpai reviews all medications specifically to ensure the regimen is as safe and appropriate as possible.