Australasian journal on ageing
-
Review Practice Guideline
Clinical practice guidelines for the management of delirium in older people in Australia.
Delirium is a common and serious condition which is often overlooked or misdiagnosed in older people. In 2006, the first set of national clinical practice guidelines for the management of delirium in older people were developed. This paper provides an abbreviated version of the guideline document which includes recommendations for the detection of delirium (diagnosis and screening), assessment and prediction of risk factors for delirium, prevention of delirium and interventions to manage people with delirium. The guidelines reflect the available evidence base and highlight the limited high level research in delirium care, particularly in the areas of symptom management and screening for delirium.
-
To document the views of family caregivers of persons with dementia about quality of life for their relative during the late and terminal stages of the disease, as part of an exploratory study of best quality care and support. ⋯ Quality of life needs to be understood from multiple perspectives. Caregivers' views are a central part of this understanding and should be used to inform future research and service development.
-
This article presents the development and initial testing of a comprehensive pain chart for the assessment, management and documentation of pain in older people in subacute and residential aged care. The pain chart was developed from existing assessment scales and pain indicators, and is targeting needs of older people in residential care and geriatric hospital settings with high prevalence of cognitive impairments. ⋯ The chart consists of one evaluative and one documentation dimension, and was evaluated by a group of clinicians in geriatric hospital care (n = 15) and residential aged care (n = 6). The chart was found to be content valid, informative and easy to use, facilitating clinical assessments and monitoring, and assisting visual readings of patients' temporal pain trends.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation after hip fracture for residents of nursing homes: a randomised trial.
To determine the effectiveness of interdisciplinary rehabilitation for women with hip fracture who were residents of nursing homes. ⋯ No definite conclusion can be drawn about the effectiveness of the intervention because of its premature termination. However, the study established that it is feasible to provide an interdisciplinary rehabilitation for older people with hip fracture and severe disablement.