BACKGROUND Hip fractures are common and serious injuries in the geriatric population. Obtaining informed consent for surgery in geriatric patients can be difficult due to the high prevalence of comorbid cognitive impairment. Given that virtually all patients with hip fractures eventually undergo surgery, and given that delays in surgery are associated with increased mortality, we argue that the...

The aging process is linked to changes in the physiological function of organs and changes in body composition that alter the pharmacokinetics of drugs and pharmacodynamic responses. Comorbidity and polypharmacy in the elderly decreases tolerability of drugs, leading to greater vulnerability to adverse drug reactions than that observed in younger adults. In geriatric pharmacotherapy, the genera...

Sir, This year Sahlgrens University hospital in Gothenburg has launched a geriatric unit specializing in alternative / complementary medicine. Avd 606 SU/Högsbo is a normal somatic geriatric ward, working with a wide range of disease in the elderly, stroke rehabilitation not included. The unit honours the geriatric departments guidelines of evidence based medicine and patient empowerment. It do...

The mortality and morbidity of geriatric patients is much higher than for younger patients, especially when critically ill. This may be attributed to a lower reserve capacity in most organs and systems, reduced ability to deal with physical stress and the presence of acute or chronic co-mobidities. Parenteral and enteral nutrition support can improve the clinical condition of the elderly patien...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Family physicians are poised to provide medical care to older adults residing in the broad range of facilities now currently available to this population. To date, geriatric training has focused on skilled nursing facilities, particularly for the required Review Committee for Family Medicine (RC-FM) longitudinal experience. This article describes the development and ev...

BACKGROUND Although most guidelines recommend the use of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) for mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease, only a small proportion of affected patients receive these drugs. We aimed to study if geriatric comorbidity and polypharmacy influence the prescription of ChEIs in patients with dementia in Germany. METHODS We used claims data of 1,848 incident patients with de...

on an eye-witness account of conditions in a geriatric ward, says 'it is a catalogue of cruelty, callousness, filth and depersonalisation'. He believes the aged mental patient is badly in need of a real court of protection.

Geriatric medicine has an encyclopaedic sweep, reflecting the complexity of both the ageing process and of our patient group. Keeping up with, and making sense of, the relevant scientific literature is challenging, especially as ageing has increased in prominence as a focus of research across many branches of the sciences and the humanities. This review of research published in 2012 in generali...

BACKGROUND The study was part of the Thai Anesthesia Incidents Study (THAI Study), a multi-centered study conducted by the Royal College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand, aiming to survey anesthetic related complications in Thailand. OBJECTIVE Identify the incidence and factors related to perioperative death in geriatric patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD During a 12 months period (March 1, 2003...

BACKGROUND With our aging population and limited number of geriatric psychiatrists, innovations must be made in order to meet the growing demands for geriatric psychiatry services. Emerging technologies could greatly improve access to care and systematic data collection. METHODS This randomized study compared completion rates and time to completion (primary outcomes) when using iPad technolog...