Geriatric medicine deals with aging problems and illnesses in older people. A geriatrician or geriatric physician has specific knowledge of the aging process and expert skills in the diagnosis, therapy, and prevention of diseases in the elderly. This specialist can treat geriatric patients in the patient’s home, an office, nursing home, or a hospital setting.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including Bone density test.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Washington, D.C. has 56 practicing geriatric medicine doctor in Washington.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Washington, D.C. has a population of 550,521. Of this population, 110,240 are under the age of 18 and 66,591 are at or above the age of 65.