Older adult surgical patients: presentation and challenges.

The age of the population is increasing dramatically, and the age of the surgical population parallels that of the general population. This is occurring at a time when there are fewer health care providers with geriatric expertise in all disciplines. All health care providers must be knowledgeable about the normal changes of aging and must understand communication challenges with older adult patients. Health care providers must understand the specific risks and benefits of surgery and perform a complete individualized preoperative assessment to improve older adult patients' outcomes.