Normal aging presents a wide array of biological and psychological problems.  Geriatric psychiatry and neurology provide elderly patients with a means to have these problems evaluated and treated to improve their lives.  

Geriatric psychiatry is also called geropsychiatry, psychogeriatrics, or psychiatry of old age, and is a subspecialty of psychiatry.  Providing geriatric psychiatry deals with the psychosocial and biological aspects of the population in their elderly years (generally over age 60).  

Along those lines, geriatric neurology deals with common neurologic disorders in the same age group.  Signs of disease and normal symptoms of aging can confuse the diagnostic process and present a challenge when dealing with more than one condition at a time.  

Common geriatric neurologic problems include:  

• Dementia

• Memory loss

• Weakness 

• Numbness

• Poor balance

• Parkinson’s disease 

• Seizures 

• Stroke 

• A combination of any of the above

Many people company of memory loss as they age, although a slight memory loss is normal as long as it does not affect normal daily activities.  More significant memory loss should be evaluated such as getting lost in familiar areas, difficulty cooking or reading, or forgetting appointments.  

Mara Fiorentino, M.D., is available to help with memory disorders, dementia, gait disorders, neurodegenerative disease, and other neurologic problems in older adults.