Diseases common in old age are:
- Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
- Cardiovascular diseases (e.g. heart attack, heart failure, stroke)
- COPD
- Circulatory disorders
- Kidney weakness
- Parkinson’s disease
- Osteoporosis
- Bone fractures after falls
- Osteoarthritis
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Wear diseases of the musculoskeletal system
Multimorbidity
Geriatric treatment is complicated by the fact that elderly people often suffer from several diseases at the same time (multimorbidity). Geriatricians must therefore pay particular attention to possible interactions of all the medications an elderly patient must take. In particular, dementia patients suffering from other diseases need specially trained staff and intensive care.