The therapeutic services are based on established methods, but clearly accommodate the specific pathology and the patient's functional disorders. Designed holistically, this treatment concept aims to alleviate or even cure functional restrictions so that the patient can return to an essentially autonomous life without becoming dependent on care. The overriding objective of care is to discharge the patient into their familiar environments to enjoy a good quality of life.
The geriatric patient
Geriatric patients are defined by:
- Advanced age (+70)
- Multimorbidity (multiple diseases)
- Chronicity (protracted course of the illness)
- Severe consequences of the disease
- Restricted mobility
- Restricted daily routines
- Impaired communication
- Problems in coping with illness
- Confluence of medical and social problems
Geriatric pathologies
Frequently occurring symptoms at an advanced age:
- Mobility restrictions
- Gait impairments with falls
- Chronic pain
- Memory impairment
- Progressive physical weakness and frailty
- Swallowing difficulties leading to malnutrition
Frequently occurring pathologies at an advanced age:
- Vascular diseases (with prior heart attack, stroke and PAOD)
- Disturbances in the fluid and electrolyte balance
- Metabolic disorders (e.g. diabetes mellitus)
- Severe infections of the airways
- Severe infections of the kidneys and urinary tract
- Cardiovascular diseases with decompensation (cardiac insufficiency)
- Acute episodes of degenerative diseases of the skeletal system
- Susceptibility to dizziness and falling
- Diseases following fractures or amputations
- Chronic pain syndrome
- Incontinence
- Delirium and dementia
- Diagnostics
Successful and individual treatment can only be based on a clear, certain and comprehensive diagnosis. Older people especially require particular diagnosis, as the patient's everyday life plays an important role in their recovery, in addition to their state of health. The illness and its consequences correlate closely with the changes in the body and spirit at an advanced age. So it is all the more important that our team is specialised in the preparation of multi-dimensional, multi-professional assessments in order to address these aspects individually. Special geriatric assessment using tests and questionnaires enables a first appreciation of the person's state of health.
Our diagnostic services portfolio includes:
- Electrocardiograms (ECG), long-term ECG, stress ECG
- Long-term blood pressure monitoring
- Conventional X-way imaging (e.g. of bones or the lungs)
- Computer tomography (CT)
- MRI
- Doppler and duplex ultrasound of the blood vessels
- Echocardiography/TEE
- Ultrasound of the abdomen and the thyroids
- Gastroscopy/colonoscopy/PEG placement
- Bronchoscopy, endoscopic swallowing evaluation
- Pulmonary function diagnostics (including body plethysmography)
- Neuro-psychological diagnostics (e.g. memory, language)
- Laboratory analyses
The entire portfolio of services provided by Städtisches Klinikum Görlitz is available for additional invasive or specific diagnostics.
Treatment
- Holistic care for geriatric patients by an interdisciplinary team
- Geriatric assessment and consultation
- Activating-therapeutic care provided by qualified specialists
- Early rehabilitation, combined treatment of geriatric conditions
- Counselling for follow-on care to ensure a self-determined lifestyle
- Planning and coordination of geriatric care chains
- Interdisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of pathologies
- Adaptation of medicinal treatment to the individual needs of the patient
Our multi-professional team consists of
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Therapists (physio and occupational therapists)
- Speech therapists
- Psychologists
- Social Services
- Liaison services
They are assisted by
- Consultant physicians
- Liaison services
- Volunteer visiting services
- Nutritional and/or diabetes counsellors
who are brought in when required.
Diseases of the arteries are mainly caused by arteriosclerosis ('arterial calcification') and often remain concealed until an advanced age. With the rise in life expectancy in Germany, the need for education and treatment in the field of angiology is growing steadily. This discipline, the study of vessels, investigates diseases of the
- arterial blood vessels (intermittent claudication, strokes, as well as other disorders in the supply of blood to the brain and aneurysm) and disorders of the
- veins (for instance in the form of varicose veins, venous thrombosis and inflammation)
We cooperate closely with the specialists from vascular surgery and radiology (within the framework of an Interdisciplinary Vascular Board).
Contact:
Chefarzt Dr. med. S. Zeller
We attach particular importance to the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Secondary conditions associated with diabetes include heart attacks, strokes, renal insufficiency, retinal damage, erectile dysfunction and many more.
Endocrinology deals with the function and pathological disorders of the hormone-producing organs, their diagnosis and the initiation of treatment.
Contact:
OÄ K. Schöne