Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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The natural course and clinical significance of delirium in the emergency department (ED) is unclear. ⋯ Delirium in the ED is not a transient event and frequently persists into hospitalization. Longer ED delirium duration is associated with an incremental worsening of 6-month functional and cognitive outcomes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Distinct Cognitive Trajectories in the First Year After Hip Fracture.
Change in cognitive functioning is often observed after hip fracture. Different patterns, with both improvement and decline, are expected, depending on premorbid cognitive functioning and events that occur during hospitalization. These patterns are unknown and important for older hip fracture patients with different levels of premorbid cognitive functioning. ⋯ Three distinct cognitive trajectories were identified in a population of older hip fracture patients. These trajectory groups can be used as a starting point to inform patients and caregivers on the possible prognosis after hip fracture. Group based trajectory modelling is a useful technique when the purpose is to describe patterns of change within a population and a variety of trajectories are expected to exist.
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To examine the association between hearing impairment and incident frailty in older adults. ⋯ Hearing impairment in prefrail older adults was associated with greater risk of becoming frail, independent of covariates, suggesting that hearing impairment may hasten the progression of frailty.
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To determine the cross-sectional association between cerebral amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition and gait. ⋯ PiB-PET SUVR across ROIs, independent of general measures of AD-associated neurodegeneration, is associated with poorer performance on multiple gait parameters among cognitively normal women, aged 50 to 69 years. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether Aβ predicts gait decline in both women and men.
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To examine whether a novel videoconference that connects an interdisciplinary hospital-based team with clinicians at postacute care sites improves interprofessional communication and reduces medication errors. ⋯ As increasing numbers of older adults are discharged to postacute care facilities, they face high-risk care transitions. Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes-Care Transitions (ECHO-CT) facilitates interdisciplinary communication between hospital and postacute care providers, who normally have minimal interaction. Preliminary data suggests that ECHO-CT may improve the transitions of care processes between these sites.