Gerries Flashcards
What are the key concepts to consider in CoE?
- Polypharmacy
- Comorbidities
- Extra mental, functional and social issues
- Increased vulnerability
- Complex ethical problems
What is frailty?
diminished strength, endurance, and reduced physiological function
Leading to increased vulnerability to comorbidity and death
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Neuro disease characterised by reduced dopaminergic activity in the substantia nigra
± build up of Lewy body plaques (Lewy body dementia)
What are the 3 main features of Parkinson’s?
Bradykinesia
Tremor
Rigidity
What is a Parkinson’s tremor like?
Slow (pill-rolling)
Improves on distraction and movement
Resting tremor
Asymmetrical
What is the presentation of Parkinson’s?
Tremor
Rigidity
Bradykinesia
- shuffling gait
- masked expression
- lost arm swing
- stooped
- frequent falls
- depression, hallucinations, dementia
- slow movements and speech
What are the complications of L-dopa therapy?
Hallucinations
Postural hypotension
What tools can you use to assess mental health/ cognition?
Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) Montreal Cognition Assessment (MoCA) Abbreviated Mental Assessment (AMT) GPCog (GP assessment of cognition) Geriatric Depression Scale: for depression lol
What is assessed in the MMSE:
Orientation Registration Recall Language Visuo/spacial function/ copying Attention and calculation
In the MMSE what score is indicative of cognitive impairment?
/30 in total.
Score <25 indicates dementia
<10 is severe
What are the 4 stages of assessing mental capacity?
- Can they UNDERSTAND information
- Can they RETAIN the information
- Can they use the information to WEIGH up pros/ cons
- Can they COMMUNICATE their decision
What are the domains of a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment?
Physical health Mental health Functional ability (ADLs) Social circumstances Environment
What is an LPA?
Lasting Power of Attorney;
Advanced care plan to allow another person (usually a relative or friend) to make decisions on your behalf, in the case that you no longer have capacity, in regards to your;
- Health and welfare
- Finances
What needs to be considered when making a decision in the best interest of the patient?
- Patient prior wishes (Advanced statement)
- Patient current wishes
- Balance risk and benefit
What is an advanced statement?
NOT LEGALLY BINDING
Patient statement; verbal or in writing expressing their wishes in regards to future care
Not legally binding but worth considering when making best interest decisions
What are risk factors or aetiology for falling?
Intrinsic;
- Female
- CV disease; blood pressure, aortic stenosis, heart failure, hydration
- Neuro disease; stroke, foot drop, peripheral neuropathies, dementia
- Metabolic imbalances; hypoglycaemia, salts
- Infection
- Cognitive decline
- Vision problems
- Sarcopenia
Extrinsic;
- Polypharmacy
- Drugs: antihypertensives, opiates, diuretics
- Intoxication
- Walking aids
- Functional issues; trip hazards, poor footwear
What should you consider in a falls history?
Use pt. and eye witnesses
- Previous falls
- What happened (mechanical? feeling before fall? LOC?)
- What happened after (immediate care, assess injuries)
- PMH and DH (causes, ?polypharmacy)
- Social history: environment, fall risk, available and required support
What investigations would you want to do after a fall?
- ECG
- Lying and standing blood pressure
Other;
FBC, U+E, LFTs, TFTs, Ca, VitD
DEXA scan