Geriatrics in Perugia

The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment is the cornerstone of modern geriatrics and goes well beyond a standard medical visit: it is an in-depth clinical evaluation that examines the older patient across four fundamental pillars — biological and physical health, functional autonomy (the ability to wash, dress or manage medications), cognitive-emotional status and the social-environmental picture. Using validated screening scales, it captures the patient’s real functional reserve and allows a tailored therapeutic and care plan to be drawn up.

As soon as the first warning signs appear, without dismissing them as mere “signs of age”: repeating the same question several times at short intervals, disorientation in space or time, unusual difficulty managing money or completing complex everyday tasks, sudden changes in character or mood, or a tendency towards social withdrawal. An early diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease makes it possible to start timely treatments that can slow the progression of symptoms and preserve independence for as long as possible.

Many older patients live with several conditions at once (high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoarthritis) and take a large number of medicines every day. This condition, known as polypharmacy, significantly increases the risk of negative drug interactions, therapeutic duplications and severe side effects, such as dizziness or drops in blood pressure that lead to falls. The geriatric visit includes a critical, periodic review of all ongoing therapies, in order to simplify daily intake, discontinue medicines that are no longer needed and safely optimise dosages.

Sarcopenia is the progressive loss of muscle mass, strength and quality that accompanies ageing, and it is one of the main causes of falls and loss of independence. Our approach is integrated: the geriatrician’s clinical and metabolic assessment is combined with clinical nutrition programmes and personalised therapeutic exercise protocols against bone (osteoporosis) and muscle fragility, improving balance, stability and motor coordination.

A family caregiver is someone who provides daily, unpaid care to a close relative who is no longer self-sufficient due to a chronic, degenerative (such as Alzheimer’s or dementia), oncological or disabling condition. This prolonged situation exposes them to severe psychophysical stress, known as Caregiver Burden. The psychological support offered at MediSport Center helps caregivers prevent feelings of isolation, process the trauma of their loved one’s diagnosis and develop practical strategies to manage the emotional exhaustion and guilt that often accompany caregiving.

The psychological support pathway gives caregivers concrete tools to protect their own mental health and carve out space to decompress: cognitive restructuring, to move past the myth of the “perfect caregiver” and accept one’s limits without guilt; reorganising the day’s schedule to better integrate caregiving, work and personal life; and a protected space for emotional release, where frustration and anger can be expressed and channelled in a healthy way to prevent emotional breakdown.

Medical longevity (healthy ageing) is not aimed exclusively at older adults: it is a preventive branch of medicine for adults, generally from the age of 40-50, who wish to preserve their biological reserve and reduce the risk of developing chronic age-related diseases. The programmes combine geriatric expertise with the evidence of exercise science, with the goal not simply of adding years to life, but of supporting as many years as possible lived in good physical, mental and cognitive health.