Human rights and the comprehensive geriatric assessment: Is the standard of care compatible with a human rights approach?

Abstract

The comprehensive geriatric assessment is a key tool of geriatricians. It encompasses a holistic approach to care and is now the standard of care for the provision of geriatric medical care for older, vulnerable people across multiple areas of practice. In this article, I argue that the CGA is a tool that allows respect for and support for a human rights' focused approach. This support for human rights has developed incidentally with the development of the CGA. As a result, there are risks to older people's human rights even with a well-applied CGA. The development of a specific human rights convention focused on older people would help focus attention on the rights of older people.