The age that you're considered geriatric.
Age 65 is used as a marker, especially when it comes to Medicare eligibility in the United States.
Although needing geriatric care can also be needed at younger ages.
People over the age of 75 are much more likely to need geriatric care, but it also depends on a persons individual health status as well as the complexity of the persons needs instead of just the chronological age.
Geriatrics is a medical specialty that is focused on the health needs of older adults and although age 65 is a common starting point for being considered geriatric, it's not a hard definition.
Geriatric care can sometimes be needed by people before 65 or after 65.
Someone that has multiple chronic conditions or fraility may benefit from geriatric care at an earlier age than someone that is healthy and independent.
The difference between geriatric and the elderly is that elderly is a term that is used to describe older people.
And geriatric refers to a specialized field of medicine and science.
And despite being descriptive, “elderly” can be over-generalizing and lacks the detail that is often needed for both medical treatment and research.
The word geriatric originates from the Greep geron meaning old man.
Although geriatric can be referred to older people who are women as well.