Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
-
To estimate the prevalence and incidence of frailty and evaluate the effect of frailty on adverse outcomes in Chinese elderly adults. ⋯ A feasible FI that can be used in routine medical evaluation in a primary care setting was developed, and a 12.3% prevalence and a 13% incidence of frailty was demonstrated in community-dwelling Chinese older adults. Frailty is more common for urban and female residents in the oldest old group. Being frail significantly predicts geriatric adverse outcomes, indicating the importance of early screening and intervention in frail individuals in primary care.
-
To examine associations between exposure to various subgroups of antipsychotic drugs and risk of hip fracture in older adults. ⋯ In people aged 60 and older in Norway, those who took an antipsychotic drug had twice the risk of sustaining a hip fracture during exposure than during nonexposure. Although confounding by indication, comorbidity, or other drugs used cannot be excluded, this association is relevant for clinical practice because hip fracture and antipsychotic drug use are prevalent in vulnerable older individuals. Clinical studies examining mechanisms or causality of the observed association between antipsychotic drug use and excess risk of hip fracture are needed.
-
To assess differences in populations and service use according to hospice ownership, chain status, and agency size. ⋯ In addition to for-profit and not-for-profit hospice agencies differing according to important dimensions, there is substantial heterogeneity within these ownership categories, highlighting the need to consider factors such as agency size and chain affiliation in understanding variations in Medicare beneficiaries' hospice care.
-
To determine whether emergency department (ED) length of stay before ward admission is associated with incident delirium in older adults. ⋯ ED length of stay longer than 10 hours was associated with greater risk of delirium in hospitalized older adults, after adjusting for age and cognitive impairment.
-
To analyze the costs for long-stay (>90 days) nursing home (NH) decedents with and without hospice care. ⋯ In this analysis of costs to Medicare and Medicaid for long-stay NH decedents, use of hospice did not increase costs in the last 6 months of life. Evidence supporting cost savings is sensitive to analyses that vary the time period before death.