Geri Flashcards
What is an acronym to remember the causes of delirium?
PINCH ME
Pain
Infection
Constipation
Dehydration
Medication
Environment
Describe the components of a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and their importance in the management of elderly patients.
The components of a CGA include medical, functional, cognitive, psychological, and social assessments. These evaluate physical health, mobility, cognition, mood, and social support. By addressing multiple domains, CGA helps identify and manage health issues comprehensively in elderly patients.
Explain the role of social assessment in the comprehensive geriatric assessment process and its implications for patient management.
Social assessment evaluates social support, living arrangements, and caregiver burden. It identifies social isolation, caregiver stress, or inadequate support systems, which can impact patient outcomes and care planning in elderly individuals. Addressing social needs promotes patient-centered care and improves outcomes.
Discuss the role of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in identifying and quantifying frailty in elderly patients.
Multidimensional evaluation: Physical, functional, cognitive, psychological, social domains.
Frailty quantification: Fried Frailty Phenotype, Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale.
Identification and intervention: Targeted strategies based on frailty assessment to improve outcomes in elderly patients.
Explain the distinction between frailty and disability in elderly patients, highlighting their respective implications for healthcare management.
Frailty: Increased vulnerability, decreased resilience.
Disability: Inability to perform activities independently.
Distinct concepts: Frailty encompasses multiple health domains, predicts disability but not all frail individuals are disabled.
Define frailty and differentiate it from aging-related changes in elderly individuals.
Frailty: Decreased physiological reserve, increased vulnerability to stressors.
Aging: Gradual decline in physiological function, not synonymous with frailty.
Frailty ≠ Normal aging: Accelerated decline, heightened risk of adverse outcomes.
Explain pharmacodynamic interactions and give an example of an additive/synergistic interaction.
Pharmacodynamic interactions involve drugs with similar or antagonistic effects. For instance, ramipril and amlodipine work synergistically to lower blood pressure through different mechanisms of action, enhancing their therapeutic effects.
Define pharmacokinetic interactions and provide examples of interactions affecting drug absorption.
Pharmacokinetic interactions alter the absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion of drugs. For example, oral iron can decrease the absorption of tetracycline antibiotics, reducing their effectiveness.
What is polypharmacy, and why is it a concern in the older adult population?
Polypharmacy refers to the concurrent use of multiple medications, which increases the risk of adverse drug events (ADEs) and medication-related complications due to interactions and cumulative effects.
What are the geriatric giants/frailty syndromes?
- Immobility
- Instability
- Incontinence
- Intellectual impairment
- Iatrogenesis
- Impaired vision and hearing
If you have one of these symptoms the term is ‘off legs’
How do you manage widespread metastases?
- Radiotherapy (relieves pain and tumour progression)
- Analgesia
- Palliative care referral
What are local complications that can arise from lung tumors?
- Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy
- Superior vena cava obstruction
- Horner’s syndrome
- Rib erosion
What is an ICMA?
Local authorities and NHS bodies can instruct an IMCA to support and represent a person who lacks capacity when: they have arranged accommodation for that person. they aim to review the arrangements (as part of a care plan or otherwise), and. there are no family or friends who it would be appropriate to consult.
How do you take Denosumab and how does it work?
Taken as a subcutaneous injection
Denosumab works by targeting a protein called RANKL which controls the activity of osteoclasts. This stops bone cells being broken down and strengthens the bone.
Examples of bulk forming laxatives
Ispaghula husk (fybogel)
Methylcellulose