Approach to Elderly Patient Flashcards
what kind of reasoning do you use for younger vs. elderly morbidities?
younger: hypothetico-deductive
elderly: inductive reasoning
5 Is of geriatric medicine?
Instability Immobility/functional decline Incontinence Intellectual decline Iatrogenesis
things to consider in pressure ulcers besides just pressure:
nutrition
mobility/weight status
vascular supply
how does frailty affect meds?
less muscle, lowers volume of distribution: get higher med effects than anticipated
5 criteria for frailty: WUSEL
WUSEL
- unintentional weight loss
- weakness
- exhaustion
- slow walking speed
- low physical activity
why would an elderly person present with delirium for UTI?
less reserve so symptoms such as delirium come on at a lower grade infection than a younger person
what is a CGA? (exam)
Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment
multidimentional interdisciplinary process to determine the medical, psychological and functional capabilities of a frail elderly person in order to develop an integrated plan for treatment and follow up
CGA good?
20% less likely to die
why CGA?
early detection of risk factors
3 stage process for CGA?
- target appropriate patients
- assess and develop recommendations
- implement recommendations
someone with down’s syndrome has higher chance of?
alzheimers
what are IADLs?
instrumental activities of daily living
- shopping
- coooking
- housework etc.
neuropsych tool are great but shouldn’t replace?
history taking
2 challenges for CGA?
limited history
difficult physical examination
why ageism/nihilism?
some don’t realize what is and isn’t part of normal aging
