Beijing Geriatric Hospital
Beijing Geriatric Hospital: China's “Full-Cycle Guardian” of Elderly Healthcare and “Model of Medical-Care Integration”
Beijing Geriatric Hospital (Beijing Geriatric Medical Center) is a tertiary general hospital directly affiliated with the Beijing Municipal Health Commission. It serves as the core supporting institution for the National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases and stands as China's first Class A tertiary specialized hospital dedicated to geriatric medicine. Founded in 1949 as the former “Beijing Municipal Third Hospital,” the institution has evolved over 75 years into a national geriatric health center integrating medical care, teaching, research, prevention, rehabilitation, and palliative care. It specializes in managing geriatric comorbidities, providing care for functional impairment and dementia, preventing chronic diseases, and delivering comprehensive lifecycle health services. The hospital serves patients from all 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) across China and over 20 countries worldwide. It handles over 1.8 million outpatient visits and admits more than 50,000 elderly patients annually. Its technical capabilities in geriatric syndrome management, multi-organ failure treatment, cognitive impairment intervention, and innovative medical-care integration models are internationally leading. In 2022, the hospital was designated by the National Health Commission as a “National Geriatric Medical Center Construction Unit,” becoming a core pillar in China's strategy to address population aging.
I. Hospital Profile: A National Medical Center Dedicated to Geriatric Health
Located at 118 Wenquan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, the hospital is nestled near suburban ecological landscapes, offering a tranquil and pleasant environment. With a total floor area of approximately 280,000 square meters, it operates over 2,000 beds (70% of which are dedicated to geriatric general wards). with a current staff of over 2,500 (including more than 400 senior-title specialists, over 80 doctoral/master's supervisors, and geriatric medicine specialists constituting over 60% of the workforce). The hospital organizes its operations around six core disciplinary clusters: “Comprehensive Geriatric Medicine,” “Neurodegenerative Diseases,” “Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases,” Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine,“ ”Rehabilitation and Nursing,“ and ”Palliative Care." Supporting departments include General Practice, Nutrition, and Psychology. The hospital hosts national and provincial-level platforms such as the National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, the Beijing Key Laboratory of Geriatric Health, and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Key Laboratory for Geriatric Diseases. It serves as a doctoral and master's training center for geriatric and rehabilitation medicine at Capital Medical University, cultivating hundreds of specialized geriatric professionals annually. Guided by the philosophy of “whole-person, whole-life cycle care,” the hospital has established an integrated service chain encompassing prevention, diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care. It serves as an “innovation engine” for integrating medical care and elderly care within China's geriatric health service system.
II. Technical Advantages: Full-Chain Innovation from “Comorbidity Management” to “Precision Intervention”
Centering on “addressing complex health issues in the elderly,” the hospital has established a comprehensive “assessment-intervention-rehabilitation” technical system in geriatric disease diagnosis and treatment. It demonstrates particular strengths in geriatric comorbidity management and care for functional impairment and cognitive decline:
• Geriatric Comorbidity Management: “Multidisciplinary Collaboration + Individualized Plans”
Addressing the characteristics of “multiple coexisting conditions and polypharmacy” in the elderly, the hospital pioneered the “Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) + Multidisciplinary Team (MDT)” model. Integrating expertise from over 10 departments, including Geriatrics, Cardiology, Neurology, Pulmonology, and Rehabilitation, it develops personalized plans focused on “disease control + functional maintenance + quality of life enhancement.” Average hospitalization days for geriatric patients with comorbidities decreased by 20%, with readmission rates reduced by 30%.
• Disability and Dementia Care: “Early Screening + Systematic Intervention”
The Disability Assessment Center employs internationally recognized scales (e.g., Barthel Index, MMSE) integrated with AI-powered evaluation systems to achieve early disability risk warning (90% accuracy). The Dementia Diagnosis and Treatment Center focuses on Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, implementing comprehensive therapy through “cognitive training + medication intervention + environmental adjustments.” This approach slows cognitive decline by 40% in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. The innovative “Memory Clinic + Family Care Workshop” model provides nursing skill training for caregivers, reducing their burden.
• Chronic Disease Prevention and Control: “Dynamic Monitoring + Precision Regulation”
For chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease in the elderly, the hospital established a “remote health monitoring + family doctor follow-up” system. Real-time data collection via smart wristbands and continuous glucose monitors, combined with AI algorithms, enables early warning of condition fluctuations. Innovative “pharmacogenomics + metabolomics”-guided medication has increased blood pressure control rates among elderly patients from 60% to 85% and reduced diabetes complication incidence by 25%.
• Rehabilitation and Nursing: “Functional Restoration + Comprehensive Support”
The Rehabilitation Medicine Department features internationally advanced robotic-assisted systems (e.g., Lokomat lower-limb rehabilitation robot) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) devices. For patients with postoperative disability or post-stroke sequelae, rehabilitation effectiveness reaches 80%. The nursing team implements “geriatric comprehensive care + palliative care” training, developing “pain management + nutritional support + psychological counseling” protocols that improved end-stage patients' quality of life scores by 35%.
III. Core Disciplines: Comprehensive Matrix Covering Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Rehabilitation
The hospital boasts eight National Key Clinical Specialties (Geriatrics, Neurology, Cardiology, Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine, Geriatric Psychiatry, Palliative Care, and Family Medicine), including:
• Geriatrics: One of China's largest comprehensive geriatric departments, treating over 8,000 patients annually. Led the development of the Technical Specifications for Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in China and has ranked first in geriatrics on the Fudan University China Hospital Specialty Rankings for 20 consecutive years.
• Neurology: A National Key Specialty focusing on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. With over 300,000 annual outpatient visits, it employs “cerebrospinal fluid biomarker testing + Aβ-PET imaging” for early diagnosis, achieving 95% accuracy.
• Cardiology: National Demonstration Base for Geriatric Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosis and Treatment. Specializes in complex cases, including geriatric heart failure, arrhythmia, and coronary heart disease. Performs over 2,000 cardiac interventional procedures annually with a 98% success rate.
• Rehabilitation Medicine: A national key discipline in rehabilitation medicine, pioneering “robot-assisted rehabilitation + virtual reality training” technology. Demonstrates significant therapeutic efficacy in post-stroke motor function recovery among the elderly and post-surgical disability rehabilitation.
IV. Departmental Structure: Comprehensive Care for Patient Needs
Beyond core specialties, the hospital features an Emergency Department (providing 24/7 care for elderly patients with critical conditions such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and respiratory failure), General Practice (offering “primary care responsibility + two-way referral” services), Endocrinology (geriatric diabetes and thyroid disease management), Gastroenterology (geriatric gastrointestinal disorders and gastrointestinal bleeding), Orthopedics (geriatric osteoporosis and post-joint replacement rehabilitation), Urology (benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary tract stones), Gynecology (geriatric gynecological inflammation, menopause management), Ophthalmology (geriatric cataracts, glaucoma), Otolaryngology (geriatric hearing loss, tinnitus), Dentistry (geriatric tooth replacement), Dermatology (geriatric skin itching, shingles), Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM regulation for geriatric chronic diseases) Nutrition Department (geriatric nutritional assessment and dietary guidance), Laboratory Department (geriatric-specific indicator testing), Radiology Department (geriatric multi-organ function assessment), Pathology Department (geriatric tumor pathological diagnosis), and over 40 other clinical departments. Supported by auxiliary departments including the Telemedicine Center (connecting communities and nursing homes) and Health Management Center (geriatric physical examinations and risk assessment), these form an integrated “prevention-diagnosis-treatment-rehabilitation” service network.
V. Medical Equipment: World-Class Devices Empowering Precision Diagnosis and Treatment
The hospital is equipped with globally leading geriatric health-specific devices to support the diagnosis and treatment of complex and critical conditions:
• Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Equipment:
• Genentech CGA Smart Assessment System (USA) – Integrates cognitive, physical, psychological, and social function assessment
• Panasonic Smart Vital Signs Monitoring Mattress (Japan) – Real-time monitoring of heart rate, respiration, and body movement.
• Neurodegenerative Disease Detection Equipment: • Siemens 3.0T MRI (Aβ-PET imaging for early Alzheimer's diagnosis) • Cognision Cognitive Assessment System (precise evaluation of memory and attention)
• Rehabilitation Therapy Equipment: Swiss Hocoma Lokomat Lower Limb Rehabilitation Robot (post-stroke gait training), UK Magstim Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator (rTMS, improving motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease), Israeli RehaCom Cognitive Rehabilitation Training System (memory and executive function training).
• Cardiovascular Diagnostic Equipment: GE Holter Monitor (USA), Philips Cardiac Echocardiography (Netherlands) (assessment of geriatric valvular disease and cardiomyopathy), Bayer Continuous Glucose Monitor (Germany) (comprehensive diabetes monitoring).
• Emergency and Monitoring Equipment:
German Dräger invasive ventilators (for geriatric respiratory failure treatment), American Medtronic extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO, for severe pneumonia support), and Japanese Terumo continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT, for multi-organ failure treatment).
VI. International Patient Services: Global Geriatric Healthcare with “Chinese Warmth”
As a “WHO Collaborating Center for Geriatric Health” and “National Health Commission Designated Foreign Medical Service Provider,” the hospital serves as a key referral destination for elderly patients from Europe, America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and beyond. It offers comprehensive convenience services for international patients:
• Multilingual Support: An International Medical Department staffed with professional translators fluent in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, etc., with medical personnel capable of basic foreign language communication; Critical examination reports (e.g., brain imaging, assessment scales) are provided in bilingual Chinese-English versions.
• One-stop service: Assistance with registration, appointment scheduling, medical record translation, visa extension procedures, and more; priority access (emergency patients seen within 30 minutes) with dedicated patient navigators.
• International medical coverage: Partnering with global insurers like MSH (Wanxinhe), Cigna, and Aetna to support direct billing for overseas health insurance; enabling international credit cards and cross-border payments (Alipay/WeChat Pay).
• Cultural Adaptation Services: Provide internationally compliant meals in wards (e.g., halal, vegetarian, low-salt/low-fat options); respect religious customs (e.g., Islamic prayer times, Christian holiday greetings); offer dedicated religious activity rooms and psychological counseling specialists (addressing cross-cultural adaptation anxiety).
• Telemedicine: Collaborations established with Johns Hopkins Hospital's Center for Geriatric Medicine (USA), King's College London's Institute of Ageing and Health (UK), and Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Medical Center (Japan). Complex cases can undergo joint video consultations with international expert panels.
VII. International Patient Testimonials: “Professional Care for the Elderly, Warmth That Transcends Borders”
• Robert (78, Alzheimer's disease, USA): “Diagnosed with moderate Alzheimer's in the US, my memory severely deteriorated. After arriving at Beijing Geriatric Hospital, the neurology team implemented a ‘cognitive training + medication adjustment’ plan. Within three months, I could recognize my family again! The rehabilitation department's robot-assisted training also enabled me to walk independently—truly remarkable!”
• Japanese Patient Yuki (82, disability with hypertension): “My family couldn't care for me after my stroke caused hemiplegia. Beijing Geriatric Hospital's Rehabilitation Medicine Department used robots for gait training, while the nursing team taught my family proper turning and feeding techniques. Now I can walk a few steps with a walker, and my family is less exhausted.”
• French patient Sophie (75, Parkinson's disease): “My hands shook so badly I couldn't hold a cup steady. Treatment in France yielded only moderate results. Here, the neurologists used ‘transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with medication optimization.’ After just one week, my tremors significantly decreased. The nurses even taught me simple rehabilitation exercises—truly thoughtful!”
VIII. Contact Information & Transportation Guide
• Hospital Address: No. 118 Wenquan Road, Haidian District, Beijing (Main Campus of Beijing Geriatric Hospital).
• Consultation Hotline: 010-62357500 (Main Switchboard), 010-62357120 (International Patient Service Line).
• WeChat Official Account: Search “Beijing Geriatric Hospital Service Account” for online appointments, report inquiries, and geriatric health resources.
• Transportation Routes:
• Subway: Transfer to Bus Special Line 12 at Xierqi Station (Line 13) to Beijing Geriatric Hospital Station;
• Bus: Take routes 330, 346, 543, etc., to “Beijing Geriatric Hospital Station”;
• Driving: The hospital features an underground parking garage (rate: ¥5/hour). Nearby parking is available at the Hot Spring Sports Center parking lot (10-minute walk).
Beijing Geriatric Hospital upholds the mission of “respecting, cherishing, and protecting the elderly.” With its deep expertise in geriatric health, continuous technological innovation, and compassionate care for patients worldwide, it remains a trusted guardian of senior wellness. Whether providing standardized treatment for common geriatric conditions or tackling complex comorbidities through multidisciplinary collaboration, the hospital delivers high-quality, compassionate, full-lifecycle health services to elderly patients globally, guided by Chinese wisdom.
Document dated 2025-09-15 15:00 Modify