Geriatric clinic (elderly care)

Specialist assessment for older people with complex symptoms, several illnesses and many medicines — clear care plans and support for both patient and family.

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Appointments in Swedish, English and Arabic
Evidence-based care
Written plan after every visit

About the clinic

Geriatrics differs from other specialties in that it is rarely about one diagnosis at a time. In an older patient with several illnesses, ten medicines and reduced function, the most important question is not "what is wrong?" but "what affects this person's everyday life most, and what can we actually do about it?". An experienced geriatrician also knows that symptoms in older people often look different — infection without fever, a heart attack without chest pain, depression that shows itself as memory problems.

We always look at the whole medication list and the whole life situation, not just the symptom that prompted the appointment — and we welcome family members to take part, wherever they happen to be.

Who we help

You with several illnesses at once
You with many medicines who want a review
You or your relative with memory problems
You at risk of falling, or with balance problems
You with reduced mobility
You with low mood or anxiety in later life
You with reduced independence in everyday life
Family members who want to take part in care planning
You who want a second opinion on a geriatric assessment

Symptoms

Conditions

Falls risk and balance problems
Polypharmacy — medication review
Fracture risk from osteoporosis
Multiple long-term conditions
Cognitive impairment — investigation support
Depression in older people
Undernutrition in older people
Urinary incontinence in older people
Sarcopenia (age-related muscle weakness)
Acute confusion — investigation support

Services and investigations

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (medical, functional and cognitive)
Medication review
Cognitive screening
Falls risk assessment
Care planning together with family
Optimisation of long-term conditions

How it works

1Book and describe your main problem online.
2Upload previous results if you have them — test results, examinations, medication list.
3Video consultation — review of your history and targeted questions.
4A clear plan — next steps, any treatment, and a timeframe for follow-up.

What to prepare

A timeline of your symptoms (when it started, what triggers or relieves it)
Current medications and doses
Known allergies and previous illnesses
Previous test results and examinations, with dates if possible
Your three most important questions for the visit

Call your local emergency number immediately or go to the nearest emergency department if you have:

Sudden confusion, facial drooping, weakness in an arm or slurred speech (signs of stroke). A single one of these symptoms is enough — call your local emergency number immediately. Call even if the symptoms pass on their own.
During an ongoing infection: sudden confusion, rapid or laboured breathing, violent shivering, skin that has turned mottled, pale or bluish, or not having passed urine for a day — these can be signs of sepsis. Call your local emergency number. In older people fever is often absent altogether, and new confusion can be the only sign — do not wait for a fever to appear.
A new or repeated fall with injury
Severe difficulty breathing
Pressing or cramping chest pain that doesn't ease within 15 minutes, or chest pain radiating to the arm, neck, jaw or back — particularly with breathlessness or cold sweats
A sharp deterioration in general condition over a short time
Signs of severe dehydration

Digital care cannot replace emergency services. If unsure, seek care immediately.

Our doctors

See available doctors and book an appointment

Common questions

Is a medication review part of the appointment?

Yes, it is a central part of the assessment.

Can a family member take part in the appointment?

Yes, it is often recommended.

Can you help with memory problems?

We investigate and help with planning and support.

Can this fully replace in-person care?

Often, but some cases require a physical examination.

What should I bring to the appointment?

A complete medication list is particularly important.

Do you offer a second opinion?

Yes.

What do I do about sudden confusion in myself or a relative?

Seek emergency care immediately — see the safety box.

Is this just normal ageing?

That is exactly the question we help answer. A great deal that is assumed to be ageing is in fact treatable.

Can you be on too many medicines?

Yes. With many medicines at once the risk of side effects and interactions rises — a review is often very worthwhile.

Can family members take part in the appointment?

Yes, gladly. What family members observe is often decisive, and they can join wherever they are.

Twenty common conditions

Falls risk and balance problems

Typical age: Older people.
Background: Often linked to muscle weakness, medicines or a balance disorder.
Symptoms: Dizziness, an unsteady gait, previous falls.
What the doctor looks for: Risk factors, and the medication list.
Investigations: History, and a review of medicines.
Diagnosis: A risk assessment based on several factors.
Management: Adjusting medicines, balance training.
Follow-up: Regular.
Prognosis: A good reduction in risk is achievable.
What you can do yourself: Balance training has the strongest documented effect of all falls prevention measures.
When should you book?: After every fall, even without injury — one fall often predicts the next.

Polypharmacy — medication review

Typical age: Older people with several illnesses.
Background: Many medicines at once raise the risk of side effects and interactions.
Symptoms: Can cause side effects, fatigue, confusion.
What the doctor looks for: The medication list, and interactions.
Investigations: A complete medication review.
Diagnosis: Identifying risky combinations.
Management: Adjustment in consultation with the patient.
Follow-up: Regular.
Prognosis: Good improvement is achievable.
What you can do yourself: Gather all your medicines, including over-the-counter ones and supplements, in a bag ahead of the appointment.
When should you book?: With more than five medicines, or with new, vague symptoms.

Fracture risk from osteoporosis

Typical age: Older people; more common in women.
Background: Reduced bone density raises the risk of fracture in a fall.
Symptoms: Often no symptoms at all before a fracture.
What the doctor looks for: Risk factors, and previous fractures.
Investigations: A review of risk factors, and any previous bone density scan.
Diagnosis: A risk assessment.
Management: Lifestyle, sometimes medication.
Follow-up: Regular.
Prognosis: A good reduction in risk is achievable.
What you can do yourself: Weight-bearing exercise and vitamin D; balance training to lower the risk of falling.
When should you book?: After a fracture from a fall at standing height, or with several risk factors.

Multiple long-term conditions

Typical age: Older people.
Background: Several long-term illnesses at once, for example heart disease, diabetes, lung disease.
Symptoms: Vary with the combination of illnesses.
What the doctor looks for: How the illnesses affect each other and everyday life.
Investigations: A comprehensive assessment.
Diagnosis: Already known; this concerns coordination.
Management: A coordinated care plan.
Follow-up: Regular.
Prognosis: A good quality of life is achievable with good coordination.
What you can do yourself: Write down which problems affect your everyday life most — that governs the priorities.
When should you book?: When several conditions affect each other and nobody has taken an overall view.

Cognitive impairment — investigation support

Typical age: Older people.
Background: Reduced memory or thinking ability, with several possible causes.
Symptoms: Memory problems, difficulty managing everyday tasks.
What the doctor looks for: When the symptoms began, and how they are progressing.
Investigations: Cognitive screening, sometimes onward referral.
Diagnosis: A specific diagnosis often requires further investigation.
Management: According to the underlying cause.
Follow-up: Regular.
Prognosis: Varies with the underlying cause.
What you can do yourself: Bring a family member — what they have observed carries a lot of weight in the assessment.
When should you book?: When the memory problems affect everyday functioning.

Depression in older people

Typical age: Older people.
Background: Can be underdiagnosed in older people, often linked to their life situation or to illness.
Symptoms: Low mood, reduced interest, sleep problems.
What the doctor looks for: How long the symptoms have lasted, and their impact.
Investigations: A conversation, sometimes a rating questionnaire.
Diagnosis: Clinical assessment.
Management: Talking support, medication where needed.
Follow-up: Regular.
Prognosis: Good with the right support.
What you can do yourself: Note whether you have lost interest in things you used to enjoy — in older people that is often clearer than low mood.
When should you book?: With low mood or reduced interest lasting more than two weeks.

Undernutrition in older people

Typical age: Older people.
Background: Insufficient nutritional intake, with several possible causes.
Symptoms: Unintentional weight loss, fatigue.
What the doctor looks for: How the weight is changing, and eating habits.
Investigations: History, sometimes blood tests.
Diagnosis: The clinical picture, with or without test results.
Management: Dietary advice, sometimes supplements.
Follow-up: Regular weight checks.
Prognosis: Good with early action.
What you can do yourself: Weigh yourself every week — otherwise weight loss is often noticed too late.
When should you book?: With unintentional weight loss, however small.

Urinary incontinence in older people

Typical age: Older people.
Background: Several possible causes; more common with age.
Symptoms: Involuntary urinary leakage.
What the doctor looks for: The type of leakage, and its effect on everyday life.
Investigations: History.
Diagnosis: The clinical picture.
Management: Pelvic floor training, lifestyle, sometimes medication.
Follow-up: According to the treatment plan.
Prognosis: Good improvement is achievable.
What you can do yourself: Pelvic floor training works even at an advanced age; cut down on caffeine.
When should you book?: When the leakage affects your everyday life — it is not something you have to accept.

Sarcopenia (age-related muscle weakness)

Typical age: Older people.
Background: A gradual loss of muscle mass and strength with age.
Symptoms: Weakness, reduced mobility, a higher risk of falling.
What the doctor looks for: The level of function.
Investigations: Clinical assessment.
Diagnosis: The clinical picture.
Management: Physical activity, optimising nutrition.
Follow-up: Regular.
Prognosis: Good improvement is achievable with activity.
What you can do yourself: Strength training twice a week plus enough protein — muscle can be built even at an advanced age.
When should you book?: With increasing weakness, or difficulty getting up from a chair.

Acute confusion (delirium) — investigation support

Typical age: Older people, particularly with illness alongside.
Background: Rapidly developing confusion, often triggered by infection, medication or another acute illness.
Symptoms at follow-up: Questions about the cause and about prevention after an episode.
What the doctor looks for: The triggering factors.
Investigations: A review of the earlier episode and of risk factors.
Diagnosis: A new episode often requires urgent investigation.
Management: Directed at the triggering cause.
Follow-up: Preventive measures.
Prognosis: Varies with the underlying cause.
What you can do yourself: As a family member — note exactly when the change began; that is decisive.
When should you book?: For new confusion: emergency care, not a booked appointment.

New confusion in an older person is always an emergency and must be assessed the same day. It is often the first sign of an underlying infection, dehydration or the effect of medication.

Dizziness and unsteadiness in older people

Typical age: From 65 years.
Background: Dizziness in older people almost always has several contributing causes at once — medicines, a drop in blood pressure, reduced vision, poor balance and the inner ear often all contribute together. That means the hunt for a single cause often fails, while acting on several fronts works.
Symptoms: Unsteadiness, dizziness on standing up, feeling uncertain in the dark or on uneven ground.
What the doctor looks for: Blood pressure lying and standing, the medication list, vision and the pattern of walking.
Investigations: Blood pressure measured in two positions, a medication review, blood tests.
Diagnosis: By mapping all the contributing factors rather than searching for a single diagnosis.
Management: Adjusting medicines, balance training, correcting vision.
Follow-up: After the measures taken.
Risk factors to know: Blood pressure medicines, diuretics, sedatives, dehydration, reduced vision, reduced sensation in the feet.
Common misconception: That dizziness in older people always comes from the inner ear. Medicines and a drop in blood pressure are at least as common, and considerably easier to put right.
What you can do yourself: Note exactly when the dizziness comes — on standing up, in the dark, on turning your head — that points to different causes.
When should you book?: With dizziness that affects your mobility or raises your risk of falling.
Prognosis: Good — most people get considerably better once several factors are addressed.

Sleep problems in older people

Typical age: From 65 years.
Background: Sleep changes naturally with age — lighter sleep and waking earlier are normal. The problem is that sleeping tablets are prescribed on a large scale to older people even though they considerably raise the risk of falls and confusion, while non-drug treatment works better.
Symptoms: Difficulty falling asleep, waking early, sleepiness during the day.
What the doctor looks for: Sleep habits, daytime naps, medicines, pain, and night-time trips to the toilet that disturb sleep.
Investigations: A sleep diary; a medication review.
Diagnosis: By separating normal age-related change from a treatable sleep disorder.
Management: Sleep routines, daylight exposure during the day, treating the underlying causes.
Follow-up: After the measures taken.
Risk factors to know: Daytime napping, little daylight, pain, night-time toilet trips, depression, sleeping tablets (paradoxically a risk factor for continued problems).
Common misconception: That you need as much sleep as in younger years. The need for sleep falls somewhat, and waking early is often normal.
What you can do yourself: Get out into daylight every day and avoid napping after three o'clock — both work well.
When should you book?: With sleep problems that affect your day, or if you are on sleeping tablets and want to discuss reducing them.
Prognosis: Good with non-drug measures.

Hearing and vision loss — the consequences

Typical age: From 65 years.
Background: Hearing and vision loss are among the most undertreated conditions in older people, even though they have far-reaching consequences: hearing loss raises the risk of social isolation and cognitive decline, while vision loss considerably raises the risk of falling. Both are highly treatable.
Symptoms: Difficulty hearing in company, turning the television up, avoiding social occasions; feeling unsafe on stairs and in the dark.
What the doctor looks for: Whether the person has withdrawn socially, and whether vision loss is contributing to the risk of falling.
Investigations: A hearing test and an eye examination through the respective clinics.
Diagnosis: From the effect on functioning, not just the measured values.
Management: Hearing aids, glasses, cataract surgery.
Follow-up: Regular.
Risk factors to know: Age, noise exposure, diabetes, previous ear infections.
Common misconception: That a hearing aid is not worth the trouble. Untreated hearing loss is one of the strongest modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline.
What you can do yourself: Get your hearing tested even if you think it is fine — most people underestimate their own loss.
When should you book?: With difficulty following conversation in company, or feeling unsafe on stairs.
Prognosis: Very good with correction.

What is normal ageing — and what is illness?

Typical age: From 65 years.
Background: One of the most common questions in geriatrics, and one where mistaken assumptions have real consequences. A great deal that is dismissed as ageing — fatigue, low mood, pain, memory problems — is treatable. At the same time, there are changes that really are normal and should not be medicalised.
Symptoms: Vary entirely.
What the doctor looks for: Whether the change has happened gradually over years (more often ageing) or relatively quickly (more often illness).
Investigations: A broad assessment based on the question.
Diagnosis: The time course is the most useful clue.
Management: Directed at what is actually treatable.
Follow-up: According to the findings.
What IS normal ageing: A somewhat slower thought process, lighter sleep, reduced muscle mass with inactivity, worse close-up vision.
What is NOT normal ageing: Persistent low mood, confusion, unintentional weight loss, falls, marked fatigue, pain that limits everyday life.
Common misconception: That you should "expect" to get worse with age. Many problems assumed to belong to ageing are entirely treatable.
What you can do yourself: Ask yourself whether the change came gradually over years or relatively quickly — a quick change is rarely ageing.
When should you book?: When you or your family have noticed a change that happened over months rather than years.
Prognosis: Often very good — many assumptions about ageing turn out to be treatable conditions.

The family perspective — when you are worried about someone close

Typical age: Not applicable — this concerns family members.
Background: Family members often notice changes long before the older person does, particularly with cognitive impairment where insight into the illness can be reduced. At the same time it is hard to know how to raise it without causing offence. What family members observe is clinically valuable and is taken seriously.
Symptoms: A family member notices forgetfulness, withdrawal, poorer hygiene, unpaid bills or weight loss.
What the doctor looks for: Concrete examples rather than general impressions.
Investigations: Depends on the question; what family members report is a central part of the picture.
Diagnosis: By weighing the older person's own experience against what the family observes — they often differ, and both matter.
Management: Depends on the findings.
Follow-up: As needed.
Common misconception: That as a family member you are "interfering". What family members observe is often what makes early detection possible.
What you can do yourself: Write down concrete examples with dates — "left the stove on three times in November" says considerably more than "has become forgetful".
When should you book?: When you have noticed changes that worry you, ideally together with the person concerned.
Prognosis: Better outcomes with early detection, which often rests on exactly this kind of attentiveness from family.

Blood pressure in older people — high or low?

Typical age: From 65 years.
Background: Treating blood pressure in older people requires a different balance than in younger people. Blood pressure that is too high raises the risk of stroke, but treatment that is too aggressive raises the risk of a drop in blood pressure, dizziness and falls — which in turn can cause fractures. The target is therefore often higher in frail older people than in younger ones.
Symptoms: Often none with high blood pressure; dizziness and unsteadiness when it is too low.
What the doctor looks for: Blood pressure both lying and standing, and whether the patient is frail or robust.
Investigations: Repeated measurements in two positions; home blood pressure readings.
Diagnosis: Individually, from the level of function and the risk of falling, not from the numbers alone.
Management: Individualised targets; sometimes a reduction in dose.
Follow-up: Regular, particularly after a change of dose.
Risk factors to know: Frailty, previous falls, dehydration, several blood-pressure-lowering medicines at once.
Common misconception: That lower blood pressure is always better. In frail older people, blood pressure that is too low can do more harm than good.
What you can do yourself: Measure your blood pressure both sitting and after standing for three minutes — the difference is often the most important finding.
When should you book?: With dizziness on standing up, after a fall, or with questions about your blood pressure treatment.
Prognosis: Good with individually adapted treatment.

Diabetes in older people — different targets

Typical age: From 65 years.
Background: Treating diabetes in older people has partly different goals than in younger people. The risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) weighs more heavily, because it can cause falls, confusion and hospital admission — while the benefit of very tight blood sugar control falls with a shorter expected treatment horizon. The targets are therefore individualised.
Symptoms: Hypoglycaemia in older people is often atypical — confusion, dizziness or falls rather than the classic sweating and trembling.
What the doctor looks for: HbA1c in relation to frailty, and signs of hypoglycaemia.
Investigations: HbA1c, kidney function, a medication review.
Diagnosis: Individually, from the level of function and the risk of hypoglycaemia.
Management: Often relaxed targets; a review of medicines that carry a risk of hypoglycaemia.
Follow-up: Regular.
Risk factors to know: Insulin or sulfonylureas, reduced kidney function, irregular meals, cognitive impairment.
Common misconception: That a lower HbA1c is always better. In frail older people, control that is too tight can do more harm than good.
What you can do yourself: Eat regularly and note any episodes of dizziness, confusion or sweating — they may be hypoglycaemia.
When should you book?: With repeated episodes of low blood sugar, or to go through your treatment targets.
Prognosis: Good with individually adapted targets.

Constipation in older people

Typical age: From 65 years.
Background: Very common and often triggered by medication — opioids, iron, certain blood pressure medicines and antidepressants all contribute. Untreated constipation in older people can lead to serious complications and is also a common but overlooked cause of acute confusion.
Symptoms: Infrequent bowel movements, hard stools, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, sometimes confusion.
What the doctor looks for: The medication list, fluid intake, mobility, and whether it is new.
Investigations: History; investigation for new-onset constipation after the age of 50.
Diagnosis: By going through the medicines first and then other causes.
Management: A medication review, more fluid and fibre, laxatives where needed.
Follow-up: According to the effect.
Risk factors to know: Opioids, iron supplements, reduced mobility, low fluid intake, thyroid disorder.
Common misconception: That constipation is part of ageing. It is usually medication-related and can be put right.
What you can do yourself: Movement, fluids and a regular toilet routine — but go through the medication list first, that is where the cause usually is.
When should you book?: With constipation lasting more than two weeks, and always when it is new without a clear explanation.
Prognosis: Good once the cause has been identified.

After a hospital stay — what happens now?

Typical age: From 65 years.
Background: The time immediately after a hospital stay is one of the most vulnerable periods for older people. Medicines have often changed, function is reduced, and the risk of readmission is highest during the first few weeks. A structured review shortly after discharge noticeably lowers that risk.
Symptoms: Fatigue, reduced stamina, confusion about new medicines, uncertainty about what happens next.
What the doctor looks for: Which medicines have changed, whether follow-up is planned, and whether function has recovered.
Investigations: A review of the discharge information and the current medication list.
Diagnosis: By comparing the medicines before and after the stay — discrepancies are very common.
Management: Medication reconciliation, planning the follow-up, rehabilitation support.
Follow-up: Within a few weeks.
Risk factors to know: Many medication changes, reduced function at discharge, living alone, cognitive impairment.
Common misconception: That the hospital has arranged everything. Medication errors after discharge are common and one of the leading causes of readmission.
What you can do yourself: Compare the medication list before and after — ask for help with that if anything is unclear.
When should you book?: Within one to two weeks of discharge.
Prognosis: A considerably lower risk of readmission with structured follow-up.

Care planning and future treatment wishes

Typical age: From 65 years, but relevant at any age.
Background: Conversations about what you do and do not want in the future are among the most valuable but most avoided in the care of older people. Most people want that conversation but wait for healthcare to take the initiative — while healthcare often waits for the patient to raise it. Having it in calm circumstances, rather than in an emergency, gives both patient and family considerably more peace of mind.
Symptoms: Not applicable.
What the doctor looks for: What matters to this particular person — quality of life, independence, avoiding hospital, or doing everything possible.
Investigations: Not applicable — this is a conversation.
Diagnosis: Not applicable.
Management: Not applicable.
Follow-up: The conversation can be taken up again at any time — nothing is binding.
Common misconception: That such conversations are about turning down care. On the contrary, they are about making sure you get the care you actually want.
What you can do yourself: Think about what matters most to you, and talk to your family — they may need to know how you think.
When should you book?: When you feel ready, ideally in calm circumstances rather than alongside acute illness.
Prognosis: Not applicable — but documented greater peace of mind for both patient and family.

Contact

Book appointment info@medix7.com

The information on this page is general patient information and does not replace an individual medical assessment. Digital care has limitations and cannot handle emergencies — see the emergency box above. If you are unsure, contact healthcare services or your local emergency number.

About this content

This information draws on established Swedish clinical sources, primarily 1177 Vårdguiden, Internetmedicin and Läkemedelsboken. It is general patient information and does not replace individual medical assessment.