Age and ageing
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vestibular disorders are common in the general population, increasing with age. However, it is unknown whether older adults who fall have a higher proportion of vestibular impairment compared with age-matched older adult non-fallers. ⋯ vestibular dysfunction is significantly more prevalent in older adult fallers versus non-fallers. Individuals referred to a falls clinic are older, more impaired and report more falls than those referred to a neuro-otology department. A greater awareness of vestibular impairments may lead to more effective management and treatment for older adult fallers.
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although maintaining activity is key to successful pain management, and important to health and wellbeing, it is known that older people in pain frequently alter or reduce activity levels. A 'fear-avoidance' model is often used to explain avoidance of activity in the face of pain. However, this model is not intended to take account of the wider context in which activity changes take place, nor older people's own explanations for their behaviour. ⋯ a rational desire to avoid pain exacerbation and medical intervention motivated restrictions to activity. However, deliberative limitation of activity has the potential to compromise autonomy by increasing social isolation and de-conditioning. Supporting older people with pain to be active requires sensitivity to the function of activity restriction, especially as a means of preventing deterioration.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational Study
The predictive properties of frailty-rating scales in the acute medical unit.
older people are at an increased risk of adverse outcomes following attendance at acute hospitals. Screening tools may help identify those most at risk. The objective of this study was to compare the predictive properties of five frailty-rating scales. ⋯ frailty-rating scales alone are of limited use in risk stratifying older people being discharged from acute medical units.
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Diagnostic accuracy of three different methods of temperature measurement in acutely ill geriatric patients.
we examined the diagnostic accuracy of different methods of body temperature measurement to diagnose infection in geriatric patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). ⋯ diagnostic accuracy for the identification of infection was comparable among tympanal and rectal thermometry and lower for temporal artery thermometry. Different cut-off points should be used to identify infection using tympanal (37.3°C) or rectal (37.9°C) thermometry. In general, temperature measurement is an insensitive method to identify geriatric patients with infection. Registration number clinicaltrials.com: KSMC-tempger-1.
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to examine the effect of a multi-component, delirium prevention intervention on rates of incident delirium for patients admitted to specialist elderly care wards. ⋯ a multi-component, delirium prevention intervention directed at delirium risk factors and implemented by local clinical staff can reduce incident delirium on specialist elderly care wards.