History

Modern geriatrics in the United Kingdom really began with the "Mother" of Geriatrics, Dr. Marjorie Warren. Warren emphasized that rehabilitation was essential to the care of older people. She developed the concept that merely keeping older people fed until they died was not enough- they needed diagnosis, treatment, care and support. She found that patients, some of whom had previously been bedridden, were able to gain some degree of independence with the correct assessment and treatment.

Another "hero" of British Geriatrics is Bernard Isaacs, who described the "giants" of geriatrics: incontinence, immobility, impaired intellect and instability. Isaacs asserted that if you look closely enough, all common problems with older people relate back to one of these giants