Geriatric Emergency Medicine Flashcards
How are current elderly different than past generation of elderly?
- Differences between future >65 population and past:
A. Better educated
B. Less poverty: however, many seniors have not saved enough money for the length of their retirement
C. Fewer children
D. More ethnic/racial diversity
What are the contributing factors for resource utilization by geriatrics?
- Shrinking Primary Care
- Gerontologist Deficit
- Lack of financial Incentives
- Complexity of Care
- ED most Appropriate??
What complications can arise after an ED visit by an elderly pt?
- Increased risk for medical complications
- functional decline
- Poorer quality of life
- Within 3 months, 27% of seniors discharged from ED
A. ED Revisit
B. Hospitalization
C. Death
What are the GEM Care goals?
- Inpatient Care only as necessary
- Outpatient Care for most
- Reduce Admission rate
- Improve Quality of Care
A. Geriatric EM principles
What is included in Home care?
- INdependent healthy living
- Chronic disease management
- Community clinic
- Dr’s office
What is included in residential care?
- Assisted living
2. Skilled nursing facility
What is included in acute care?
- Specialty care
- Community hospital
- ICU
What are the proposed trajectories of dying?
- Sudden death
- Terminal illness
- Organ failure
A. CKD, hepatic dz, etc. - Fraility
A. Dementia
What factors may contribute to the hazards of hospitalization?
- Insomnia
- incontinence
- isolation
- restraints
- polypharmacy
- sensory depreivation
- unfamiliar environment
- malnutrition
- immobility
- infection
- depression
- delerium
- deconditioning
- ulcers
- falls
What are the basic tenets of GEM care/senior ED?
- Physical Plant
- Staff Education
- Hospital Care Integration
A. Social Work
B. Case Management
C. Pharmacist - Patient Comfort Extras
A. Cheaters, warm blankets, hearing aides - Palliative Care Introduction
- Outpatient Care Integration
What is included in outpt care integration?
- PCP
- Visiting Nurse’s
- Home Health Aides
- Transportation
What population does a senior ED target?
- Active functioning seniors!!!
A. Most to lose if they decompensate
B. Still have quality of life and low health care costs
Define dementia
a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning
What is dementia characterized by?
- Memory loss
- Decreased judgment
- Cognitive decline
- Motor decline
- Behavior changes
What is the course of dementia?
- Unable to determine onset
- Slow and progressive
- Long duration
- Normal vigilance (early and mid)
What are the types of dementia?
- Alzheimer’s
- Fronto-temporal
- Vascular
- Primary progressive Aphasia
- Lewy Body
- Parkinson’s
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
How is dementia screened for?
- Six Item Screener
- Mini-Cog
- OMC
What is the 6 item screener?
- Say and ask patient to repeat:
A. Apple, table penny - Ask year, month, day
A. Ask to repeat the 3 items
≤ 4: positive cognitive impairment