Discuss the advantages & disadvantages of admitting an older person to hospital

Question 1

True or false?

Older people who saw a deterioration in their balance and mobility in the first 48 hours of hospital admission had a 17-fold increase in risk of death within 14 days

Answer 1

True

Question 2

What does admitting frail older people to hospital lead to a decline in?

Answer 2

physical ability

Question 3

What factors affect frail, older people’s risk of deterioration when admitted to hospital

Answer 3

• environment
• care delivery

Question 4

True or false?

If admitted for hospital care, the eldest have highest readmission rates and the highest rate of longterm care after discharge

Answer 4

true

Question 5

What significantly increases the risk of an older person developing delirium?

Answer 5

being admitted into hospital

Question 6

What is delirium?

Answer 6

a state of acute confusion

Question 7

Asides from physical ability, what risk to health do older people take when being admitted to hospital?

Answer 7

hospital-acquired infection

Question 8

What risks are associated with delirium?

Answer 8

• it can accelerate or trigger dementia
• patients often spend longer in hospital
• patients often eventually end up in residential care

Question 9

Why can it be detrimental to admit an older person who is already receiving regular care at home into hospital?

Answer 9

It can interrupt their relationship with their carer, and this bond can be hard to re-establish