Functional assessment and medication in older adults Funktionelles Assessment und Medikation im höheren Lebensalter

Polidori MC, Sieber C (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Innere Medizin Springer

Book Volume: 67

Pages Range: 260-266

Journal Issue: 3

DOI: 10.1007/s00108-026-02056-x

Abstract

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and targeted functional assessments have become indispensable tools for safe and effective pharmacotherapy in older adults. Chronological age alone is a poor predictor of drug response and adverse outcomes; in contrast, CGA reliably detects frailty, cognitive impairment, and motor dysfunction—key determinants of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes, as well as vulnerability to delirium, falls, and functional decline. By integrating validated instruments (e.g., frailty indexes, neuropsychological tests, the Timed-Up-and-Go test, gait speed, and handgrip strength), CGA unmasks subclinical deficits and quantifies individual risk profiles that directly influence clinical decisions: initiation, dosing, choice of agent, and, in particular, deprescribing of high-risk medications (anticholinergics, benzodiazepines, and fall-risk increasing drugs [FRID]). There is a large body of evidence demonstrating that CGA-guided prescribing reduces serious adverse drug reactions, falls, hospitalisations, and mortality while improving quality of life. In an era of increasingly complex regimens, systematic functional assessment in older people is no longer optional—it is the cornerstone of personalised, evidence-based pharmacotherapy in geriatric medicine.

Authors with CRIS profile

Cornel Sieber Lehrstuhl für Innere Medizin (Geriatrie)

Involved external institutions

Universitätsklinikum Köln DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Polidori, M.C., & Sieber, C. (2026). Functional assessment and medication in older adults Funktionelles Assessment und Medikation im höheren Lebensalter. Innere Medizin, 67(3), 260-266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00108-026-02056-x

MLA:

Polidori, M. Cristina, and Cornel Sieber. "Functional assessment and medication in older adults Funktionelles Assessment und Medikation im höheren Lebensalter." Innere Medizin 67.3 (2026): 260-266.

BibTeX: Download