Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) Program provides interdisciplinary, long-term primary care for frail, disabled, or chronically ill veterans. This research identifies strategies used by HBPC teams to support veterans in their homes, rather than in institutionalized care. ⋯ HBPC IDTs studied worked together across disciplines to effectively create a dedicated culture of caring for veterans, caregivers, and themselves, leading to keeping veterans at home. Focusing on the strategies identified in this research may be useful to achieve similar positive outcomes when caring for medically complex, homebound patients within and outside the VA. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2511-2518, 2019.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
30-Day Emergency Department Revisit Rates among Older Adults with Documented Dementia.
Published literature on national emergency department (ED) revisit rates among older adults with dementia is sparse, despite anecdotal evidence of higher ED utilization. Thus we evaluated the odds ratio (OR) of 30-day ED revisits among older adults with dementia using a nationally representative sample. ⋯ Dementia diagnoses were a significant predictor of 30-day ED revisits. Further research should assess potential reasons why dementia is associated with markedly higher revisit rates, as well as opportunities to manage and transition dementia patients from the ED back to the community more effectively. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2254-2259, 2019.
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Prior studies of mortality following traumatic brain injury (TBI) have not focused specifically on older adults compared with a non-TBI trauma cohort or included specific causes of death. The objectives of this study were, among adults aged 65 years and older, to (1) generate standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) by cause of death for TBI and a non-TBI trauma cohort compared with a general population, and (2) assess risk of mortality associated with TBI compared with a non-TBI trauma cohort. ⋯ This study provides evidence that, over a 4-year follow-up of older adults, any moderate to severe injury is associated with increased mortality risk. Specifically, older injured adults are at high risk of death from accidental and therefore preventable causes, suggesting that intervention could reduce mortality. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2382-2386, 2019.
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Develop and validate a modified frailty phenotype measure for older Mexican Americans participating in the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE) and related studies. ⋯ "Limitations in walking half a mile" can be used as a substitute criterion for "low physical activity" in assessing frailty. The modified frailty phenotype measure was comparable with the original frailty phenotype measure in H-EPESE participants over time. Our results indicate the modified frailty phenotype is a useful longitudinally frailty measure for community-dwelling older Mexican Americans. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2393-2397, 2019.
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Multicenter Study
How Do Frail Medicare Beneficiaries Fare Under Bundled Payments?
Bundled payments are an alternative payment model in which a hospital takes accountability for the costs of a 90-day episode of care. Such models are meant to improve care through better coordination across care settings, but could have adverse consequences for frail adults if they lead to inappropriate cuts in necessary post-acute care. ⋯ While frail patients had higher costs and worse outcomes in general, there was no evidence of changes in access or worsening clinical outcomes in BPCI hospitals for frail patients relative to the nonfrail in hospitals' first year of participation in the program. These findings may be reassuring for policy makers and clinical leaders. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2245-2253, 2019.