Archives of gerontology and geriatrics
-
Arch Gerontol Geriatr · May 2018
Multicenter StudyEfficacy of a tool to predict short-term mortality in older people presenting at emergency departments: Protocol for a multi-centre cohort study.
Prognostic uncertainty inhibits clinicians from initiating timely end-of-life discussions and advance care planning. This study evaluates the efficacy of the CriSTAL (Criteria for Screening and Triaging to Appropriate aLternative care) checklist in emergency departments. ⋯ The CriSTAL checklist is an objective and practical tool for use in emergency departments among older patients to determine individual probability of death in the short-term. Its validation in this cohort is expected to reduce clinicians' prognostic uncertainty on the time to patients' death and encourage timely end-of-life conversations to support clinical decisions with older frail patients and their families about their imminent or future care choices.
-
Arch Gerontol Geriatr · May 2018
Comparative StudyClinical application of the basic definition of malnutrition proposed by the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN): Comparison with classical tools in geriatric care.
Malnutrition is a prevalent condition related to adverse outcomes in older people. Our aim was to compare the diagnostic capacity of the malnutrition criteria of the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ESPEN) with other classical diagnostic tools. ⋯ Malnutrition was almost twice as prevalent when diagnosed by the ESPEN consensus, compared to classical assessment methods: Classical methods: showed fair validity and poor agreement with the ESPEN consensus in assessing malnutrition in geriatric postacute care.
-
Arch Gerontol Geriatr · May 2018
Predictive validity of the Brazilian version of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator for adverse health outcomes in older adults.
This study aimed to determine the predictive value of the Brazilian Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) for adverse health outcomes (falls, hospitalization, disability and death), in a follow-up period of twelve months. ⋯ The TFI is a good predictor of adverse health outcomes among elderly users of primary care services in Brazil and appears an adequate and easy to administer tool for monitoring their health conditions.
-
Arch Gerontol Geriatr · Mar 2018
Humor doesn't retire: Improvisation as a health-promoting intervention for older adults.
As our population ages and aging in place continues to remain a priority of older adults, identifying novel ways to promote the wellbeing of older adults and reduce isolation is of the utmost importance. The Second City is a Chicago-based comedy improvisation organization that provides training in improvisation. One of their training courses, Humor Doesn't Retire, specifically teaches adults 55 and over, on improvisation. ⋯ Results for perceived benefits showed main themes of increased positivity, an increased sense of comfort and ease with the unexpected, a sense of self-development and self-awareness, and a feeling of acceptance by their social group. Participants reported that these changes fed into their behaviors, and resulted in enhanced problem solving abilities, greater facility in social situations, and the tangible outcome of an expanded and closer-knit social circle. As the first study in our knowledge to examine the effect of improvisation comedy on healthy older adults, this exploratory analysis has suggested that improvisation comedy may be a mechanism by which to combat several geriatric syndromes, including depression, stress, and isolation - all of which are detrimental to older adults.
-
Arch Gerontol Geriatr · Mar 2018
Untangling the overlap between frailty and low lean mass: Data from Toulouse frailty day hospital.
The decline in lean mass, observed in older people, has been frequently associated with frailty. This assumption has scarcely been assessed. This study explored the association between current proposed definitions of low lean mass and the Fried phenotype of frailty. ⋯ The decline in lean mass is a component of the frailty syndrome but not universally present. Indeed, LLM and frailty were associated and partly overlapped. Future research including longitudinal studies should exploit the added value of combining LLM and frailty measures in preventing disability and other negative health outcomes.