geriatric syndromes

Question 1

who are the baby boomers?

Answer 1

3 – 4 million babies born between 1946 – 1964

About 25% of U.S. population

Question 2

Fulmer SPICES: Assessment Tool for Older Adults

Answer 2

Focuses on the six marker conditions that coincide with the five common conditions defined as geriatric syndromes
Sleep disturbances
Problems with eating and/or feeding
Incontinence
Confusion
Evidence of falls
Skin breakdown

Question 3

fraility syndromes

Answer 3

Common older adults clinical syndrome

Increased risk for poor health outcomes (falls, disability, hospitalization, mortality)

Question 4

Can be described as a culmination of the effects (decline) from the aging process on the human body

Difficult to define, but clinicians generally agree that “you’ll know it when you see it”

Answer 4

fraility syndromes

Question 5

what is sarcopenia?

Answer 5

declining muscle mass, strength, and function

Question 6

fraility syndromes

Answer 6

Muscle atrophy (40% decrease in mus. mass by 80s)
Osteopenia & osteoporosis (fracture risk, stooped posture)
Decreased mobility, sedentary
Involuntary weight loss

Question 7

No standard definition
Operationally defined by Fried et al. as meeting three out of five criteria 
low grip strength 
low energy 
slowed waking speed 
low physical activity 
and/or unintentional weight loss
Requires three of the above five to be defined as frailty

Answer 7

fraility

Question 8

musculoskeletal effects

Answer 8

Weakness and slowed motor response are cardinal features of frailty
Sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass and strength) can occur rapidly after age 50
accelerated by chronic diseases
a major contributor to disability

Question 9

what is an important contributor to sarcopenia?

Answer 9

chronic inflammation