Posters

Introduction Hearing and vision impairment are associated with cognitive impairment and dementia in older adults. There is limited public understanding that modifying these risk factors can reduce the risk of dementia. In previous studies 36% of older adults have not had a vision assessment and hearing aids are thought to be underused. This study aimed to increase the understanding of patients attending a memory service of the link between cognition, vision and hearing impairment and encourage participants to have future eye and hearing assessments. Method A video was developed with patient

Introduction Frailty-attuned acute hospital care is a vital component of integrated services for older people. The NHS Long Term Plan requires hospitals with major emergency departments to deliver 70 hours of acute frailty services each week. Workforce limitations often prevent services from meeting this target and expanding. Geriatric specialist registrars (SpRs) must gain experience in acute frailty so that the consultant workforce of the future can meet patient needs effectively. St Thomas' Hospital (STH) Acute Frailty Service expanded hours of operation through the introduction of a

Introduction Effective communication between primary and secondary care teams is essential for providing continuity of care in the community for older people with frailty. Discharge summaries often lack information captured in a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). Junior members of the team, tasked with writing discharge letters, have not been formally taught in this area. This project aimed to incorporate key CGA domains into discharge summaries. Methods The geriatric medicine department at Broomfield Hospital and community mid virtual frailty team identified 7 core CGA domains for

Introduction With the emergence of disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), there is an increasing emphasis on the earlier detection and diagnosis of AD. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampled using lumbar puncture (LP) can be used to establish a biological diagnosis of AD. One potential obstacle to the widespread adoption of CSF biomarkers for AD diagnosis has been a perceived association with poor patient tolerability and safety of LP. LPs have been undertaken within our Geriatrician-Led Memory Service since May 2022. Patients are provided with a written information sheet prior

Abstract Content - Background The Major Trauma Audit is a national clinical audit managed by the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA), that captures data of patients with life threatening or life changing injuries. It has been publishing annual reports since 2014. Methods; Originally established using the Trauma Audit Research Network (TARN) methodology now entitle National Major Trauma Registry in the UK. Results: In 2024 a focused report from 2017-2021 on older adults was published as this is the largest group of patients in the major trauma population (51%, n=11,145). 56% of patients

Abstract Content - Introduction The Irish Hip Fracture Database (IHFD) is a national clinical audit managed by the National Office of Clinical Audit, that measures the quality of care and outcomes of hip fracture patients aged over 60 years. Annually there are 4000 hip fractures, the median age of a patient is 81 and 66% are female. 84% are admitted from home, 12% from a nursing home and 95% are caused by a low trauma fall. Methodology Data is collected through the Hospital In-patient Enquiry (HIPE) system. Care is measured against 7 clinical standards and two data quality standards and since

Introduction The occurrence of falls in adults 65+ years remains a common and costly issue worldwide. Exercise programmes that improve strength and challenge balance have been shown to be the most effective intervention for reducing falls in community-dwelling older adults, such as the 6-month Falls Management Exercise (FaME) programme. Despite the pre-existing evidence base, the adoption of the FaME programme has been limited. Perspectives of multiple key stakeholder groups and providers of the FaME programme could future inform more successful adoption and implementation of fall prevention

Introduction: The Free-Cog is a brief cognitive test designed to capture decline in both general cognition and executive function. The Free-Cog has been validated by comparison with the Mini-Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination in a UK secondary care setting. Here, we compare Free-Cog to the routinely-used Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Lawton-Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and Physical Self-Maintenance Scales (PSMS). Methods: Patients from three memory clinics were recruited (n=318 records). The Free-Cog, MMSE, IADL and PSMS were administered in-person (n=288)

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related neurological condition characterized by bradykinesia, tremor, and postural instability. Weight loss within the first year of diagnosis is associated with poor prognosis. Studies suggest that if older adults lose skeletal muscle, their risk of falls and related injuries increases. Therefore, measures of body composition (e.g. muscle, fat) are important in PD, where the risk of falls is high. Established body composition analysis equipment is bulky and only used in research settings. We tested the reliability of a portable SECA mBCA 525

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related neurodegenerative condition with a range of motor and non-motor symptoms. Early non-motor symptoms include constipation and orthostatic hypotension, while dysphagia is common in established PD. Previous work by our group showed that many people lose weight within a year of diagnosis. This study explored if fluid intake was also reduced in people with newly diagnosed PD. Materials and methods: We invited people with newly diagnosed PD (within six months of a diagnosis or longer if not requiring treatment) to join the study. Controls were

Introduction: Non-pharmacological de-escalation techniques are effective in managing agitated patients with delirium, yet are often overlooked in favour of pharmacological management. Sedatives are prescribed despite increased falls and extrapyramidal side effects. We used quality improvement methodology with the aim of reducing sedative use in older adults with delirium in an acute UK hospital. Methods: Utilising inpatient electronic prescribing records, we collected data on all patients aged ≥65 prescribed a sedative acutely during May 2022 in a 575-bedded acute district general hospital

Introduction Plasma 25(OH)D is commonly tested following hip fracture. The National Osteoporosis Society recommends against routine testing in these patients as vitamin D is often co-prescribed with anti-resorptive agents, making vitamin D testing unnecessary. Our median reporting time for plasma 25(OH)D is 11.5 days, costing around £7/unit. High dose, rapid vitamin D loading costs £1.34. So, is vitamin D testing in these patients cost-effective and does it add to our clinical decision-making? Method Records of 72 discharges from our ortho-geriatric unit over 3 months were reviewed for

Frailty is a growing concern, particularly for older adults attending Emergency Departments (EDs). Frailty accounts for 5-10% of all ED visits and up to 30% of acute admissions. The NHS mandates that hospitals with Type 1 EDs provide a minimum of 70 hours of Acute Frailty Services per week to address this challenge. At Salford Royal Foundation Trust (SRFT), a Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) service was introduced to deliver rapid assessment and care for frail older adults, aiming to reduce hospital admissions and improve patient outcomes. This service operates five days per week and is

Title Evaluation of a new regional pathway for Medicines Optimisation in Older People (MOOP) medicines adherence pharmacist optimising medicines in older people referred by Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) Authors & Provenance PCrawford1; SJohnston1; PGalbraith1; PTennyson1; CDarcy2; CMcGuigan2; KMiller3; JPatterson3; JAgnew4; JMcGennity4; HMcKee5; ACunningham5; CStevenson5; KBloomer6. MOOP Pharmacy Medicines Adherence Service, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust MOOP Pharmacy Medicines Adherence Service, Western Health and Social Care Trust MOOP Pharmacy Medicines Adherence Service

Background Specialist, hyperacute management of a transient ischemic attack (TIA) is necessary to decrease subsequent stroke. As part of a local Quality Improvement (QI) initiative, we implemented a new TIA pathway in our hospital to maximise efficiency, encourage an ambulatory approach, and improve global TIA management in line with the 2023 UK and Ireland Clinical Guidelines for Stroke. Method We completed a retrospective cohort study of patients who attended our hospital between April 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024. Patients with a primary diagnosis of TIA were identified through the Hospital

Introduction: Falls are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. This burden is greatest in elderly populations. Malaysia is experiencing a rapid demographic shift towards an ageing population, it has a low incidence of falling, but a high mortality to fall ratio. Identifying risk factors may guide future practice and prevent harm. Anticholinergic medication is associated with cognitive decline, mortality and falling. Methods: Data were used from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research study (MELoR), an ongoing study to assess geriatric health in Malaysia, to

Introduction Music therapy (MT) can alleviate the behavioural and psychiatric symptoms of dementia (BPSD) but it is not a standard intervention. NICE recommends MT to improve wellbeing in patients with dementia. On our Care of the Elderly (COE) wards, MT is carried out by a qualified music therapist once a week, in groups, individual sessions, or both. This quality improvement project (QIP) aimed to establish what, if any impact, MT, as it was currently provided, had on BPSD, in the setting of a general district hospital ward, thereby also potentially setting new standards which could be used

Introduction Medications with anticholinergic properties can have significant adverse effects, particularly in older adults. An Anticholinergic Burden (ACB) score of ≥3 is associated with increased risks of falls, cognitive impairment, and mortality. Additionally, side effects such as urinary retention, visual disturbances, and constipation are frequent contributors to delirium. Aim To assess whether raising awareness of ACB within the Healthcare of Older People (HCOP) department can lead to a reduction in ACB scores. Methods Over four months, a teaching session and a poster was disseminated

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has had lasting effects on the health of individuals, particularly older adults specially those with comorbidities, who are more vulnerable to severe and long term illness. Studying the post-COVID 19 period in the older population is relevant for understanding the long-term effects of the disease. There have been conflicting results on functional decline in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) in post COVID 19 older adults compared to their pre-infection baseline. This study aimed to compare

Introduction: Frailty and social vulnerability use deficit accumulation approaches to understand heterogeneity in older adult health outcomes. We examined sex differences in the effect of frailty and social vulnerability on 5-year mortality and long-term care home (LTCH) entry in Nova Scotia, Canada. Methods: We followed community-dwelling older adults 65 years and over who were assessed for public home care supports from 2005 to 2018 using data from the Resident Assessment Instrument. We conducted sex-stratified and sex-disaggregated Cox proportional hazards analyses, adjusting for age