Yesterday I had the pleasure of stopping by the Council on Cardiovascular Care in Older Adults meeting. This council, led by Daniel Forman, MD, FACC, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is composed of cardiovascular professional leaders with a passion for optimizing care for older adults. Its purpose is to provide education, support research and conduct advocacy on behalf of geriatric cardiology.

This area is growing in importance. There are currently 40 million adults age 65 and older, and this is predicted to grow to over 70 million by 2030. This is especially worrisome given that this population is predisposed to CV disease. Although from the outside, it may seem that cardiology and geriatric cardiology are one and the same, in fact, care for older patients -- generally considered those 70 years and older -- requires special consideration compared to treating younger patients.

When treating older patients, their age affects the whole range of their medical care -- from the syndromes that occur in older adults, like frailty and cognitive impairment, to metabolic changes that affect how they process drugs, to changes in physiology, like isolated systolic hypertension, syncope, and heart failure with normal systolic function. When treating older adults, there a shift in how you think about care. Because of the high potential for comorbidities and complicated drug regimes, cardiovascular professionals have to take a more holistic stance to providing care. In addition, shared decision making, involving patients and their families in choosing among their therapeutic options, should ideally be incorporated in our care of the elderly.

Given its importance, the Council on CV Care in Older Adults is trying to get more cardiologists and CV professionals interested in geriatric cardiology. Ways in which they can do this was one of the main topics of the council meeting today. One of the approaches they’re currently using is providing an educational curriculum for Fellows in Training that raises awareness of age-specific changes and how they impact disease assessment and management. You can learn more about the curriculum in the YouTube video below.

What are your thoughts on the differences in care between younger and older cardiology patients? Do you have suggestions for the council on how they can raise awareness?