Ingeborg Kuper

Since April 2016 I have been working as a clinical geriatrician at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. If questions or problems arise in my field during an admission, my advice can be asked. Sometimes patients are also referred to me at the outpatient clinic prior to their treatment. A clinical geriatrician specializes in older people, often with multiple health problems at the same time.

Common reasons for visiting a clinical geriatrician are: problems walking/falling, polypharmacy (i.e. taking many medications at the same time), unexplained decline in self-care/condition, memory problems, delirium (or acute confusion). Even if there are no complaints, it can be useful to take a broader view of health prior to cancer treatment. For optimal care for older patients with cancer, it is important to pay attention to these issues, I think it's great that this is happening at the Netherlands Cancer Institute.