Background: Population aging is one of the most significant global demographic changes of the 21st century, driven by increased life expectancy and declining fertility rates. This phenomenon presents both achievements and challenges for public health systems worldwide. Aims: On the one hand, advances in healthcare and socio-economic conditions have contributed to longer lives and improved quality of life for older adults. On the other hand, aging populations are increasingly affected by chronic diseases, greriatric syndromes, and multimorbidity, leading to greater healthcare demands and higher associated costs. Methods: This manuscript explores evidence on regards of the impact of aging on healthcare and economic systems, emphasizing the need for a paradigm shift toward healthy aging. Results: Healthy aging, as defined by the World Health Organization, focuses on the maintenance of intrinsic capacity, physical, mental, and social well-being throughout life. It highlights the importance of preventive healthcare, proper nutrition, and regular physical activity in delaying the onset of chronic conditions and maintaining functional independence. Furthermore, the manuscript addresses the challenges faced by healthcare infrastructures and pension systems as they adapt to aging populations, with particular attention to the strain caused by workforce shortages and the rising need for long-term care. Discussion: A coordinated public health approach is essential to promote healthy aging and mitigate the economic and societal impacts of population aging. Conclusions: This paper underscores the need for integrated health policies and multidisciplinary care models to ensure that longer life expectancy is accompanied by better quality of life for older individuals.

Background: Geriatric syndromes are complex clinical manifestations that are not an isolated disease in older adults and have common risk factors within themselves. The syndromes are significant causes of mortality, morbidity, and increased health care costs. Objective: To determine the frequency of geriatric syndromes such as malnutrition, dementia, depression, falls, polypharmacy, urinary incontinence, pressure ulcer, sarcopenia, and frailty in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A total of 2,816 patients, who applied to geriatric outpatient clinic and were evaluated by comprehensive geriatric assessment, were included in this cross-sectional retrospective study. Falls in the last year and urinary incontinence were recorded. Polypharmacy was accepted as concurrent use of more than four drugs. Diagnosis of dementia and depression was defined according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition diagnostic criteria. In addition, frailty and sarcopenia were evaluated according to Fried’s physical frailty scale and European Working Group on Sarcopenia criteria, respectively. Results: The frequency of polypharmacy was 54.5%, urinary incontinence 47.6%, malnutrition 9.6%, depression 35.1%, dementia 21.6%, falls 33.6%, sarcopenia 31.7%, and frailty 28.3%. When all the participants were divided into three groups (60–69, 70–79, ≥80 years), all syndromes were significantly increased with age, except for depression. While 20% of cases in 60–69 years age group did not have any syndromes, 48% of cases in ≥80 years had more than four syndromes simultaneously. Conclusion: The frequency and coincidence of geriatric syndromes, except for depression, increases with age. Therefore, clinicians other than geriatricians taking care of older people should be aware of these syndromes as well as their treatment mechanisms.

Aim: Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) is used to assess nutritional status in older adults, but it is not known whether it can be used to define frailty. This study was aimed to investigate whether or not MNA-SF can identify frailty status as defined by Fried’s criteria. Methods: A total of 1,003 outpatients (aged 65 years or older) were included in the study. All patients underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment. Frailty status was evaluated by Fried’s criteria: unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, low levels of activity, weakness, and slowness. One point is assigned for each criterion, and frailty status is identified based on the number of points scored: 0 points, not frail; 1–2 points, pre-frail; ≥3 points, frail. A total score of MNA-SF 11 indicates malnutrition, risk of malnutrition, and no malnutrition, respectively. Results: Of the 1,003 outpatients (mean age 74.2±8.5 years), 313 participants (31.2%) were considered frail and 382 (38.1%) pre-frail. Among frail and pre-frail patients, 49.2% and 25.1% were at risk of malnutrition and 22.0% and 1.6% were malnourished, respectively. MNA-SF with a cut-off point of 11.0 had a sensitivity of 71.2% and a specificity of 92.8% for the detection of frail participants, and with a cut-off point of 13 had a sensitivity of 45.7% and a specificity of 78.3% for the detection of pre-frailty. The area under the curve for MNA-SF was estimated to be 0.906 and 0.687 for frailty and pre-frailty, respectively. Conclusion: MNA-SF can be useful for frailty screening in older adults.