Geriatrics

The Erasmus Hospital Geriatric Department is structured around 5 areas of care as defined by the Royal Decree on the Care Programme for Geriatric Patients:   

• The Geriatric Hospitalisation Unit with 50 beds at the Erasmus Hospital and 84 beds at the Geriatric Rehabilitation Centre (CRG) in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.  
• Geriatric consultations given by geriatricians who each have a subspeciality:   orthogeriatrics, cardiogeriatrics, oncogeriatrics, psychogeriatrics, geriatric emergencies, sarcopenia and (mal)nutrition (see Focus).    
• The Geriatric Day Hospital  which patients attend as outpatients during one or two days for a diagnosis or to administer certain treatment (transfusion,  intravenous iron, treatment of osteoporosis, etc.) at the request of the GP or specialist doctor.   
• Internal geriatric liaising  that involves a multidisciplinary mobile team assessing geriatric patients hospitalised in other hospital departments. Persons identified as fragile benefit from a specific care pathway (assessment, multidisciplinary assessment, opinion and follow up).   
• External geriatric liaising  that involves cooperation with partners outside the hospital, namely the GP, rest and care home, rehabilitation centres and/or home care providers so as to ensure effective continuity of geriatric care.   

Each geriatric subspeciality – orthogeriatrics, cardiogeriatrics, oncogeriatrics, psychogeriatrics, geriatric emergencies and (mal)nutrition  – is the subject of a specific care pathway. Example: A 75-year-old patient with a fragile profile and with cancer. The oncologist refers the patient to the specialist oncogeriatrics doctor and his or her team. They assess the patient and draw up recommendations at the nutritional, functional and therapeutic level so that the patient is best placed to be able to tolerate the cancer treatment.   

Example: Evaluation of the effectiveness of fall sensors fitted in hospitalisation rooms, evaluation of  the  characteristics and needs of close helpers, influence of nurses training on managing pain in elderly patients admitted for hip fracture, etc.