With over 140 million people aged 60 and above, and projections suggesting this number will almost double by 2050, we are facing a quiet, yet important demographic shift. Despite this, our medical training institutions continue to give limited attention to geriatrics, often leaving it out altogether. This raises an important question: can we honestly expect our future doctors to fully care for older adults if they graduate without a foundational understanding of ageing processes, multi-morbidity, or elder-specific ethical considerations?   

A few years ago, I was working at a well-known government hospital, when a worried son brought in his frail 82-year-old mother to the emergency room. She had become increasingly confused over the past two days and had stopped eating. The young resident on duty, new out of medical school, quickly ordered a CT scan of her brain and called for a neurology consult, thinking it might be a stroke or some form of neurological decline. But as I watched her, something about her dry tongue, sunken eyes, and crumpled hospital gown made me pause. I asked, “Did she have a fever recently?” The son shook his head. “Any new medications?” He thought for a moment. “Just a new tablet (an antihistamine) for her itching.”