Last update:
05-Jul-2026

The explosive growth in the number of elderly people worldwide has led to an urgent need for comprehensive care. Older people show high rates of vulnerability, dependency on care and are characterized by great heterogeneity in the physical, functional, cognitive, mental, psychological and social domains of their lives. The care of older patients must be multidisciplinary and integrated, involving the aforementioned areas, considering their needs, priorities and goals. This care is provided through the medical specialty of geriatrics, which is widely and effectively practiced in many European countries. However, in Greece, the specialty of geriatrics is not recognized, despite being a country where ageing and the demographic problem increasingly puts pressure on the political system, health care, and the society. The Working Group for the Development of Geriatric Medicine in Greece developed within the frame of the Hellenic Society for the Study and Research of Ageing and comprises health care professionals who hold a degree in geriatrics or are trained in this field, is part of an organized effort to recognize geriatrics as a specialty or specialization in Greece. Members of the group collaborated to compile a first Greek glossary of commonly used geriatric terms. Common use of scientific terminology is the basis for communication between health care professionals and key for promoting better care for older patients and understanding. The difficulty in interpreting certain terms is due to the multiple meanings of various words in both Greek and English language which, despite being conceptually very similar, have different attributes in the field of geriatrics. The use of a cohesive methodology and the participation of health scientists with extended knowledge in the field ensures greater clarity and accurate translation of geriatric terms, which we expect to be consolidated by their use in Greek medical publications.

Key words: Aging, Geriatric terminology, Geriatrics, Translation.