Age and ageing
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Screening Tool of Older Persons Prescriptions in Frail adults with limited life expectancy (STOPPFrail) criteria were developed in 2017 to assist physicians with deprescribing decisions in older people approaching end-of-life. Updating was required to make the tool more practical, patient-centred and complete. ⋯ STOPPFrail criteria have been updated to assist physicians in efforts to reduce drug-related morbidity and burden for their frailest older patients. Version 2 is based on an up-to-date literature review and consensus validation by a panel of experts.
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Geriatric medicine is the clinical specialty that focuses upon the care of older people-especially those with frailty (a state of increased vulnerability). In hospital, older people living with frailty are at high risk of developing a range of unpleasant outcomes such as delirium, falls, fractures, pressure sores and death. Comprehensive geriatric assessment is a form of holistic care that incorporates a specific set of clinical competencies that are able to reduce these adverse outcomes. ⋯ The challenge now is to work out how best to deliver geriatric care across the whole hospital (older people with frailty are not just cared for in geriatric wards!). The themed collection published on the Age & Ageing journal website outlines key articles that are attempting to develop solutions to this challenging conundrum. We hope that you enjoy reading them.
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The aim of this systematic review was to quantify the association between frailty and COVID-19 in relation to mortality in hospitalised patients. ⋯ Whilst the majority of studies have shown a positive association between COVID-19 related death and increasing frailty, some studies suggested a more nuanced understanding of frailty and outcomes in COVID-19 is needed. Clinicians should exert caution in placing too much emphasis on the influence of frailty alone when discussing likely prognosis in older people with COVID-19 illness.
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the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of emergency department (ED) stay-associated delirium on older patient's functional and cognitive status at 60 days post ED visit. ⋯ seniors who developed ED stay-associated delirium have lower baseline functional and cognitive status than non-delirious patients, and they will experience a more significant decline at 60 days post ED visit.
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mortality in care homes has had a prominent focus during the COVID-19 outbreak. Care homes are particularly vulnerable to the spread of infectious diseases, which may lead to increased mortality risk. Multiple and interconnected challenges face the care home sector in the prevention and management of outbreaks of COVID-19, including adequate supply of personal protective equipment, staff shortages and insufficient or lack of timely COVID-19 testing. ⋯ the survival curves and increased HRs show a significantly increased risk of death in the 2020 study periods.