Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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Comparative Study
Longitudinal changes in attitudes of offspring concerning life-sustaining measures for their terminally ill parents.
To define longitudinal changes in the attitudes of offspring concerning life-sustaining measures for their older, terminally ill parents and to determine whether experience of a "life event" influences such decisions. ⋯ The decisions made by offspring regarding life-sustaining measures for their terminally ill parent at real time remain unchanged 6 years after the event. Exposure to a life event significantly affects the decision-making of the offspring of a terminally ill parent. However, the subject's attitude toward extreme solutions--opposing active euthanasia and requesting the administration of nutrition and medication--was not influenced by the fact that the subject had undergone a life event.
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Editorial Comment Historical Article
Three millennia of delirium research: moving beyond echoes of the past.
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To develop a self-report screening tool to identify older people in the emergency department (ED) of a hospital at increased risk of adverse health outcomes, including: death, admission to a nursing home or long-term hospitalization, or a clinically significant decrease in functional status. ⋯ The ISAR is a short self-report questionnaire that can quickly identify older patients in the ED at increased risk of several adverse health outcomes and those with current disability.
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To investigate the factors that influenced fluid intake among nursing home residents who were not eating well. ⋯ When staffing is inadequate and supervision is poor, residents with moderate to severe dysphagia, severe cognitive and functional impairment, aphasia or inability to speak English, and a lack of family or friends to assist them at mealtime are at great risk for dehydration. Adequate fluid intake can be achieved by simple interventions such as offering residents preferred liquids systematically and by having an adequate number of supervised staff help them to drink while properly positioned.