Comprehensive geriatric assessment. Helping your elderly patients maintain functional well-being.

In this article, three geriatricians describe an approach to comprehensive geriatric assessment that takes into account the multiple social and medical problems that affect the functional well-being of frail elderly patients. With a 45- to 90-minute time investment, physicians can obtain an inventory of the factors that threaten an elderly patient's independence and gain a fuller understanding of the patient's complex needs.