New Ideas for Old Concerns

A chance meeting with a pioneer of geriatric medicine set Derek Prinsley on his path to revolutionising the care of older people around the world. Inspired by the field of medicine, he went on to become an internationally recognised leader in geriatrics, travelling to different continents to deliver his ideas for better care of the elderly.

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Derek Prinsley graduated in Medicine in 1942. A chance contact he had with a pioneer in geriatric medicine started his own pioneering path in England, Australia and America, where he has developed clear examples of the components of a geriatric medical service.
At the University of Melbourne he was appointed to the first Chair of Geriatric Medicine, and he has also been a consultant to the World Health Organisation. In America he was the Mitchell Distinguished Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where he organised acute medical care of older people. In retirement he suddenly became a full-time 'carer' of disability in the family. Growing, effective support services are now available in the community and in homes. The spread of these good ideas is making the better care of older people in their own surroundings possible.