For professionals

One of the most impressive situations that geriatric specialists can face me with is that where patients do not or hardly regain consciousness after severe brain injury. Or those where there is consciousness, but where there is hardly any motor skills to communicate. Among these often young target groups, little is known worldwide about the long-term problems in nursing homes, while it is precisely there that the dilemmas in treatment and care are most pressing.

A new research group will shed light on this black box from the geriatric specialty. The dark and often forgotten side of the success of modern medicine. After describing the historical context, this contribution calls for increased vigilance in order not to let a vulnerable target group fall through the cracks.