PREPARING FOR THE GERIATRIC TSUNAMI – AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PARADIGM SHIFT

Abstract

SUMMARY The Emergency Department has witnessed multiple paradigm shifts within a very short period of time. It is likely that the aging of the population will create the greatest shift to date. As the number of people over age 75 swells, the demands on the emergency department to have available multi-disciplinary geriatric capabilities to manage their complex non-medical problems risk overwhelming the ability of the department to manage the acutely ill and injured as is its mandate. Crowding could spiral out of control, resulting in worsening outcomes for emergency department patients. Anticipating the geriatric tsunami and preparing a health care system, both in and outside of a hospital will be critical. Creating a geriatric emergency department in isolation risks having governments designate the emergency department as the portal of entry for all community geriatric needs, which can only compromise further acute care, care already threatened by tightened budgets, increasing health care costs and insufficient community resources.