Gerontology
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The prevalence of postoperative delirium in elderly patients is >30%. The objective of this prospective study was to determine the usefulness of the short form of the Informant Questionnaire on COgnitive Decline in the Elderly (short IQCODE) to predict the occurrence of postoperative delirium after elective hip and knee arthroplasty in the elderly. ⋯ The short IQCODE appears to be a useful tool to predict the risk of postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing elective surgery. Detecting this complication could be of great interest to improve the postoperative survey of elderly patients.
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Brain areas that are involved in cognition and mood also play a role in pain processing. ⋯ Although older persons with depression were excluded, in studies on pain and cognition one should control for the presence of depressive symptoms in older persons with and without dementia.
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Current demographic trends pose a major societal challenge due to the rising number of older people with chronic conditions such as stroke. The relative impact of various disabilities at the time of discharge from an acute unit on discharge outcome is poorly understood. ⋯ The ability to transfer has a pivotal role in the clinical decision making of discharge destination after stroke. Understanding of the factors which may increase the potential for improving this ability after acute stroke could have an impact on clinical outcome.
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Risk factors for functional decline in nonagenarians: a one-year follow-up. The NonaSantfeliu study.
Disability and a decline in functional capacity are common in old age. ⋯ According to the definition used to describe functional basic ADL decline, poor performance in instrumental ADL at baseline and a history of a stroke appear to be independent risk factors. Prevention strategies could be intensified in this subgroup of nonagenarians.