Penza, 29 December 2015. PenzaNews. The Penza region will organize its own geriatrics service in the year of 2016, announced the regional Minister of Health Vladimir Stryuchkov during his press conference on Tuesday, December 29.

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“A new direction is emerging in our development: the geriatrics service. This service is related to providing medical care to the elderly population. We already appointed the chief professional who is undergoing education in Moscow. We will be creating a new structure, prepare the doctors and the nurses,” he explained.

The new service is necessary because the elderly population has its own unique set of frequently occurring illnesses, Vladimir Stryuchkov pointed out.

“And their illnesses are also progressing in a different way, with different treatment, medicine prescription methods, doses. Just like with the children, the elderly have special considerations to keep in mind, too. And this is what we are going to be developing,” the minister said.

According to him, the geriatricians will be admitting patients in dedicated offices.

“Just like nerve therapists, geriatricians will have their offices,” Vladimir Stryuchkov explained, adding that the patients still will be receiving specialized medical help from respective specialists.

The geriatrics service will help with issues related to adjusting the doses, unusual progression of an illness, and other geriatrics-related issues, the regional Health Minister added.

The geriatricians will admit patients aged 60 or over, he added.

The service is planned to open in the second half of 2016, Vladimir Stryuchkov said.

Geriatrics is subdivision of gerontology that focuses on study, prevention and treatment of diseases, illnesses and disabilities in older adults.

Presently, there are several specialized geriatrics and gerontology centers in Russia that provide diverse medical aid to the elderly patients.