Geriatrics Flashcards
What is the aim of geriatric practice
This is to achieve max independence for the patient in their given environment
Define frailty
This is a state of being in weak health
Who are the most at risk geriatric medicine patients
1.Those over 75
2. Female
3. Recently bereaved
4. Living alone
5. Functionally or cognitively impaired
6. Progressive physical illness
7. Socially disadvantaged
What are the 5 main medical assessments that need to be made on an elderly patient
- Identify the pathologies and the illnesses that they are struggling with
- Assess whether the chronic diseases are stable or progressing
- Screen for hearing and visual decline
- Optimise the medical treatment of conditions to decreases side effects and morbidity
- Assess the patient’s nutritional status
What are the 3 main psychological assessments that need to be made
- Cognitive function
- Mood
- Psychotic and behavioural problems
What are the 2 components of a functional assessment
- Occupational therapist needs to assess whether the patient is able to carry out the tasks of daily living
- Physical therapist needs to check the patient’s gait and balance to see if they are at risk of falling
What are the assessments that can be made by a social worker 4
- If the patient has support
- If the patient needs any care resources
- Financial resources of the patient
- Barriers to transport and measures on how to combat those
What are the 2 components of the environmental exam
- Safety hazards in the home especially for cognitively impaired and frail patients
- Physical barriers e.g. steps
What is the function of the social worker
Puts in place the support that the patients care givers need to cope in the community or arranges placement in a facility appropriate to the patients needs.
What is the function of the occupational therapist
gives education and aids to improve independence in daily functioning and recommends alteration to the environment to lessen hazards to falling and improve independence
What is the function of the physio
Improve strength and balance
What is an impairment
These are abnormalities of the body structure or organ
What is a disability
consequences of impairments in terms of functional performance and activities by the individual
What is a handicap
These are the disadvantages that a patient experiences as a result of their impairments and disabilities
What are the elements that contribute to a patient function and ultimately leads to their handicaps
- Environment
- Physical handicap
- Mental capability
What are the 3 main advantages to a formal tool that can be used to assess function
- It ensures that no area is overlooked
- It is validated
- It is consistent
What is the test that is used to assess Basic activities of daily life
Barthel index
What is the test that is used to assess Instrumental Activities of Daily Living that allow an individual to live independently e.g. managing finances
Lawton IADL index
What is the use of the Lawton and the barthel indexes
They are used to assess a patient’s function allowing us to understand whether additional care is needed e.g. step down
What is the function of the frontal lobe
It is used for planning and judgment
Which area of the brain is affected by alzheimer’s and how does it affect memory
The amygdala is affected, it causes the progressive loss of recent memories and slowly further into the past
What is meant by a word finding difficulty
This is where a person finds it difficult to express themselves
What is circumlocutory speech
a language disorder where a person uses excessive words or describes characteristics instead of using a name to refer to an object, event, or person
What is meant by paraphrasia
This is where the patient uses words that sound similar or are connected to the word that they are looking for in someway e.g. spoon instead of fork
What is Viseospatial ability
This is the ability to interpret and relate visual information to the space around you e.g. using a map to navigate
What is apraxia
This is the inability to perform learned motor actions despite intact motor function e.g. tying a shoe lace [Loss of muscle memory]
What is meant by agnosia
This is the loss of the ability to recognise objects
What are the 10 components of the mini mental state exam
- Orientation to time
- Orientation to the place
- Repetition of 3 words
- Attentension by spelling a word backwards
- Recalling the 3 words after a distraction task
- Repeating a phrase completely correctly
- Naming 2 common objects
- 3 step command test
- Apraxia test
- Visuospatial assessment
What is the cognitive test that is used to check planning
Clock face test
How to check generativity and initiation in a patient
Phonemic fluency test, this is where you ask the patient to start words with the same letter and then see how many words they can generate 12 is normal
How is abstract thought assessed
It is assessed by asking the person a proverb in their mother tough