Communication between older patients and their physicians.

This article provides an overview of communication between older patients and their physicians. The authors discuss distinctive features of geriatric medical visits and empirical investigations of communication between physicians and older patients in real life clinical encounters highlighting the content, interactional processes, and outcomes of care. They also discuss strategies for improving communication between physicians and older patients using new and innovative technologies. The authors conclude that healing in its broadest sense can occur only through a humanistic approach to geriatric care.