Geriatric Psychiatry and Palliative Care: Not-So-Strange Bedfellows

Abstract

More Americans are living longer and entering old age than ever before. The number of adults age 65 years and older in the United States (US) is projected to grow to more than 83.7 million by 2050. Today's 65-year-olds can expect to live, on average, another 19.4 years. However, the outcomes of extending longevity have not kept pace with the outcomes of prolonging physical, mental, and cognitive wellness. The 2012 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report estimates that 14%–20% of the elderly population is afflicted by a mental health or substance use condition, including dementia-related behavioral and psychiatric symptoms, while the CDC estimates that 22.2% of those over 65 are in fair or poor overall health. Despite this clear growing demographic need, the number of physicians formally trained in geriatric psychiatry and geriatric medicine is shrinking while those pursuing training in hospice/palliative care medicine is increasing.This session will cover several aspects of how geriatric psychiatry and palliative care may overlap in meeting the growing needs of the geriatric population through discussion of the direct clinical utility of applying palliative care concepts and techniques when caring for individuals with neurocognitive disorders and their families/caregivers, how early referrals to palliative care specialists may improve patient care/outcomes while alleviating some of the workforce burden that geriatric psychiatry and geriatric medicine providers face, and how the construction of a dedicated palliative care rotation for geriatric psychiatry fellows may better facilitate collaboration between specialties while also filling a current gap in training for geriatric psychiatrists.