Geriatric primary care: a European perspective, Part II.

Europe is considered the parent of geriatric medicine, which was first recognized as a specialty in the United Kingdom. For the benefit of U.S. primary care physicians, GERIATRICS Editor-in-Chief Robert N. Butler, MD, convened a panel of leading European geriatricians in Lausanne, Switzerland, for a discussion of the successes and problems they are encountering in providing medical care to the aging world population. In Part I (Geriatrics 1992; 47 [Jan]:31-41) panelists described the healthcare services available to the elderly. In Part II, they discuss treatment and evaluation of dementia, use of hypnotics, rehabilitation approaches, and dietary and exercise recommendations for the elderly.