Gerontology
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Hospital inpatient falls are common and may lead to injuries and prolonged hospitalization. Although hospital studies have reported overall fall rates and injuries associated with falls, few have addressed population characteristics and circumstances of falls across clinical departments within a hospital setting. ⋯ In the hospital studied, inpatient falls are significantly more common in departments of geriatrics and internal medicine than in surgical departments. Fall rates, related injuries and circumstances of inpatient falls varied significantly among clinical departments, probably due to differences in patient characteristics. When monitoring falls, hospitals should therefore consider differences in characteristics associated with patient falls across clinical departments. High priorities should be allocated in view of identifying patients at risk of falling and implementing fall prevention strategies and interventions.
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In developed countries, hospital deaths at very advanced age are increasingly common. Few studies have addressed end-of-life care in very elderly patients with non-cancer chronic diseases. ⋯ Our results indicate that there are marked differences according the palliative care provided to oldest-old patients with end-stage non-cancer chronic diseases admitted to an acute care hospital. In any case, care should be improved for both age groups.
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The prevalence of postoperative delirium in elderly patients is >30%. The objective of this prospective study was to determine the usefulness of the short form of the Informant Questionnaire on COgnitive Decline in the Elderly (short IQCODE) to predict the occurrence of postoperative delirium after elective hip and knee arthroplasty in the elderly. ⋯ The short IQCODE appears to be a useful tool to predict the risk of postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing elective surgery. Detecting this complication could be of great interest to improve the postoperative survey of elderly patients.
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While many studies investigate the factors that influence the institutionalisation of older persons, only a few consider one of its most important predictors, namely, the perceived need for institutionalisation. Also referred to as 'desire for institutionalisation', it has mainly been investigated for informal caregivers of older adults suffering from dementia. Not many studies target caregivers of people without dementia; even fewer have been interested in the older adult's own perceived need. ⋯ The percentage of community-dwelling older adults considering institutionalisation is the same for people currently in individual or collective settings. Factors related to physical disabilities and insufficiencies of resources are important correlates, with specific factors differing between the two types of current living arrangements.
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Little is known about the association between physical fitness and cognitive function in very elderly people (over 80 years of age). ⋯ In a very elderly population of 85-year-olds, cognitive function was associated with some physical fitness measurements, independent of confounding factors.