Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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The purpose of this study was fourfold; to determine the rate of delirium among hospitalized older persons, to contrast the clinical outcomes of patients with and without delirium, to identify clinical predictors of delirium, and to validate the predictive model in an independent sample of patients. ⋯ This study confirms the high rate of delirium among hospitalized older persons and the associated adverse outcomes of prolonged hospital stays and increased risk of death. Patients can be stratified according to their risk for developing delirium using relatively few clinical characteristics which should be assessed, on all hospitalized older persons.
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Comparative Study
Past personal history of dysphoria, social support, and psychological distress following conjugal bereavement.
This study describe the course and risk factors of psychological distress following bereavement, controlling for factors often omitted from studies of grief: psychiatric history, social support, and coping choices of the bereaved. ⋯ It was concluded that a past history of subsyndromal symptomatology in conjunction with a stressful life event such as bereavement increases one's vulnerability to excess psychological distress.
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To develop and validate the Physical Performance and Mobility Examination (PPME), an observer-administered, performance-based instrument assessing 6 domains of physical functioning and mobility for hospitalized elderly. ⋯ The PPME is a reliable and valid performance-based instrument measuring physical functioning and mobility in hospitalized and frail elderly.
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To determine whether medical conditions that can impair sensory, cognitive, or motor function increase the risk of injury due to motor vehicle collision in older drivers. ⋯ Counseling about driving risks may be warranted for certain elderly diabetic drivers. Further research is needed to determine whether transient hypoglycemia or long-term complications explain these effects.
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To determine a safe and easy way to estimate body weight (BW) accurately in nonambulant elderly patients. ⋯ Convenient estimation of body weight in nonambulant patients may be carried out using nomograms, which, themselves, may be used as progress sheets to assess the effect of dietary supplementation on body weight.