Alive and well: geriatric medicine in the U.K. in 1984.

The function of the hospital geriatric service in the U.K. is described within the context of the overall support for the frail, disabled, and sick elderly in this country. It plays an important part in the secondary care of the very old, and perhaps an even more important part educating the public and the profession to the needs of this rapidly expanding section of the population. A short account is given of the nature of geriatric medicine and the role of the consultant geriatrician. The history, achievements, and current status of the specialty are briefly reviewed, and some of the directions which future developments may take are indicated. Whether or not a comprehensive separate service on the U.K. model emerges in other countries, it is certain that they will need centres of geriatric expertise to pursue research and to provide education and enlightenment for all concerned with the medical problems of old age.