Articles: dementia.
-
Caring for older adults in the Emergency Department demands compassion, expertise, and adaptability to address the intricate medical and emotional needs of this vulnerable population. Key geriatric emergency medicine articles from 2023 highlight the evolving landscape of this field: updates to the Beers Criteria for potentially inappropriate medications, medications most implicated in causing delirium, geriatric trauma centers, behavioral problems in persons with dementia, geriatric syndrome detection, and emergency department (ED) process outcomes in geriatric EDs. As healthcare organizations shift to focus on the larger continuum of care that extends beyond the ED visit, we also highlight a novel program from the Veterans Affairs bringing former military medics to the home to improve outcomes after ED discharge. This review highlights practice-changing updates to improve the management of older adults in the ED.
-
Body composition, blood pressure, estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), lung function, physical activity, muscle architecture, and endothelial function had not previously been examined in people with young onset dementia. Therefore, the study measured these variables in a young onset dementia group, compared them to age-matched controls. ⋯ This study highlights differences between people with young onset dementia and controls, underscoring the need for multicomponent exercise interventions. Future interventions should target muscle architecture, increase moderate-vigorous physical activity, and reduce sedentariness, with the goal of improving quality of life and promoting functional independence.
-
Multicenter Study
Coffee and tea consumption and dementia risk: The role of sex and vascular comorbidities.
Coffee and tea consumption has been linked to dementia. However, it remained unknown how sex and vascular risk factors modify the association. We aimed to investigate the association of coffee and tea consumption with dementia and whether sex and vascular comorbidities modified the association. ⋯ The risk of AD and VaD was lower with increased consumption of coffee and tea; the impact differed by sex and vascular comorbidities including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes.
-
Preventive medicine · Feb 2025
Exploring the determinants to accept dementia screening among patients at high risk of dementia based on the theory of planned behavior: A cross-sectional study.
Dementia represents a major public health challenge. Despite numerous initiatives promoting screening for early cognitive impairment to help prevent or delay its onset, participation remains limited. Moreover, there is limited evidence regarding screening intentions and predictors among populations at high risk of dementia. This study used the theory of planned behavior to identify modifiable factors associated with screening participation. ⋯ PBC, subjective norm, and attitudes are associated with dementia screening willingness among high-risk groups. Healthcare professionals and policymakers should focus on enhancing favorable attitudes toward screening, increasing familial encouragement, and reducing perceived barriers to developing effective prevention or intervention strategies.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2025
"Mr. Smith Has No Mealtimes": Minimal Comfort Feeding for Patients with Advanced Dementia.
While Comfort Feeding Only is appropriate for patients with advanced dementia, its emphasis on assiduous hand-feeding that may prolong life for years fails to accommodate the preferences of those who do not want to continue living with this illness. Some have proposed advance directives to completely halt the provision of oral nutrition and hydration once a person has reached an advanced stage of dementia. ⋯ Rather than offering food and liquids proactively as with Comfort Feeding Only, caregivers provide nutrition and hydration only in response to signs of hunger and thirst. While further study is required to define and negotiate challenges in operationalizing this approach, MCF provides a framework that resolves competing ethical and clinical considerations in caring for those with advanced dementia.