Geriatrics

Overview

The Division of Geriatrics fosters exemplary and quality clinical services by training superb physicians, scientists and leaders for optimal delivery of age friendly medical care.

Our vision is to build an outstanding academic Division of Geriatrics at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix in close collaborative partnership with key community physician leaders.

This will enable the next generation of physicians to create and lead new innovative aspects of geriatric care, which focuses on a person-based, holistic, interdisciplinary team approach across all settings and transitions of care.

Building age friendly health care systems is crucial to serving the health care needs of older adults. By 2035, there will be more older adults than people under the age of 18 in the United States. This increasing number highlights the importance of being prepared for their unique circumstances. 

More than half of Americans 65 or older have a chronic condition and many have multiple conditions, making a trip to the emergency room complicated for the patient and the physician. In addition, data shows that older adults are more likely to develop complications during hospitalization, placing them at risk of losing their independence once they are discharged from the hospital. 

To accommodate these shifting demographics, our team implemented the Mind, Mobility, Medication and Matters Most framework at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix to look at components of care during hospitalization and build independence for patients post-hospitalization. 

This is an extension of the Age-friendly Health System Initiative at the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA).