Geriatrics

Appointment New Patient Appointment or 214-645-8650

recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation's top hospitals for geriatric care

Nationally Ranked in Geriatrics

UT Southwestern Medical Center is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation's top hospitals for geriatric care.




At UT Southwestern Medical Center, our geriatrics program combines attentive and compassionate care with state-of-the-art medical resources to create one of the nation’s leading health care programs for older adults.

Expert Care for Older People

Our geriatricians are specially trained to prevent and manage older adults’ unique and, oftentimes, multiple health concerns. They provide both primary care services and comprehensive geriatric assessments for patients and their families, developing care plans that address the special health care needs of older adults.

Our geriatric specialists focus on the complete individual, including social and psychological issues as well as medical conditions.

Our Geriatric Services

UT Southwestern offers several programs for our older patients.

Geriatric Primary Care

Our physicians provide long-term primary care for patients 80 years of age and older.

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment

We evaluate older adults with complex medical and social conditions, including mobility issues, osteoporosis, urinary incontinence, rehabilitation needs, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and psychological disorders. We also analyze the patient’s current medications to determine whether they are clinically warranted and interact safely.

This complete and coordinated evaluation occurs in one clinical setting and is performed by a team that includes a geriatrician and a social worker who specializes in geriatrics. Each team member assesses the patient separately, and then the group confers to create the best plan for future care.

House Calls: UTSW Care of the Vulnerable Elderly (COVE)

Our house call program provides comprehensive care for older individuals in the comfort of their own homes.

Learn more about house calls.

UTSW POSH Program

The UT Southwestern Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health (UTSW POSH) Program is an innovative, interdisciplinary model of care designed for older adults undergoing elective surgical procedures.

Who is eligible?
  • Patients who are age 85 or older, or
  • Patients who are age 70 or older who also:
    • Have a known or suspected cognitive impairment
    • Use more than five medications
    • Have three or more chronic conditions
    • Have experienced an unintended weight loss of more than 10 lbs. in one year
Services we provide
  • Presurgery service to anticipate any risk of adverse postoperative events, and to provide an optimization plan to avoid complications and improve outcomes
  • Postsurgery service to provide consultative management of medical comorbidities, make recommendations for delirium prevention, and assist with a safe transition out of the hospital
  • Coordination of care based on recommendations from the POSH multidisciplinary team

For more information, call the UTSW POSH team at 214-645-8617.

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Age-Friendly Health Systems

UT Southwestern Medical Center has been recognized as a participant in Age-Friendly Health Systems, a movement to deliver safe, reliable, high-quality health care in every setting based on what matters most to older adults as individuals.