Geriatrics Center Erlangen

Welcome to the Geriatrics Center Erlangen at the Waldkrankenhaus St. Marien.  The center is dedicated to provide outstanding health care for the older population by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in this group of people. Thereby, older patients with acute or exacerbation of a chronic disease are treated at the Department of Internal Medicine III. Those in need for (further) rehabilitation receive clinical care at the Department of Geriatric Rehabilitation. In addition, the Outpatient Unit of our center offers preventive and medical care for older non-hospitalized patients. In addition, clinical research aiming to evaluate strategies that potentially improve medical care for older people is coordinated and performed by the  Division of Geriatric Research.

 Acute geriatric care at the Depatment of Internal Medicine III deals with medical diagnosis and therapy of patients who are usually at least 70 years of age. These patients typically suffer from multiple diseases and frequently also from restricted or impaired functions. Immobility, instability, incontinence and isolation are symptoms that take priority and are treated in parallel with cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, bone and joint diseases as well as disturbances of the respiratory and digestive tracts. Acute geriatric care is characterized by ACE (Acute Care for Elders) components: patient-centered care, frequent medical review, early rehabilitation, early discharge planning and prepared environment. Further characteristics are geriatric assessment and a multidisciplinary team. The geriatric assessment is a multidimensional, multidisciplinary assessment designed to evaluate an older person's functional ability, physical health, cognition and mental health, and socioenvironmental circumstances. The geriatric multidisciplinary team approach plays an increasingly important role in the management and care of older patients, providing support to patients and families and helping them adapt to illness and treatment plans – it offers psychosocial counseling, patient and family education, discharge planning and post hospital care planning. 

Geriatric rehabilitation at the Department of Geriatric Rehabilitation includes rehabilitation programs to improve the patients independence and ability to live their day-to-day life in combination with social integration, in cases of apoplectic strokes, bone and joint fractures, neurological and psychiatric disturbances, following operations and amputations as well as conditions resulting from diabetes.

The Outpatient Unit of our center aims to prevent or at least delay impairments and diseases in older adults and to treat acute and chronic medical problems that can be managed in a non-hospitalized setting.

The Division of Geriatric Research performs patient-oriented clinical research in close cooperation with departments and institutes of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. This research effort is focused to enable us to timely implement new methods and strategies for an optimal management of older patients in terms of evidence-based medicine.