[Patient-oriented medicine in the elderly].

A higher age is usually associated with multimorbidity due to chronic illnesses intermittently aggravated by acute disease and exarcerbation of pre-existing chronic illnesses. Physical and psychological diseases often coexist. Cure in the classical sense should not be the priority of diagnostic and therapeutic decision making, but more a prioritization of patient-oriented care. This includes polypharmacy which most often accompanies multimorbidity. Therapeutic actions and designated endpoints are therefore different from those in younger persons because preservation of functionality and independence is priority, not survival. Rehabilitative treatments are important in all settings that care for old and very old persons. Older adults and their care-givers also often express different time and treatment goals.