The Adjustable Transobturator Male System (ATOMS) for urinary incontinence: 9 year sub analysis within the geriatric population
Introduction The ongoing rise in prostate cancer rates and consequent prostatectomy have led to an increase in rates of male stress urinary incontinence. ATOMS is an adjustable sling requiring no manual input and suitable for frailer patients. We investigated the long term efficacy of the ATOMs in managing SUI and performed a subanalysis within the geriatric population (aged 75+). Method 69 men (mean: 70.2, range 50-81) underwent an ATOMS insertion between 2015-2019. Follow up data for up to 9 years were analysed (mean: 5.8, range 5-9 years). Out of the 69 men in the original cohort, 19 were
Experiences of older residents in anticipation of transitioning to a new nursing home
Introduction Transition is potentially a stressful incident to individuals as it requires major life adjustment. Older residents living in a nursing home consider it as their last place of life. When the older residents have to be relocated to a new nursing home, they inevitably face a significant transition due to their high dependency on the physical, psychological, and social needs. There is limited empirical evidence revealing the experiences of older residents who anticipate a transition from the existing nursing home to a new nursing home, thereby hampering our understanding of their
Clinical Phenotype and Epidemiology of Delirium-Onset Dementia with Lewy Bodies – A Scoping Review
Introduction Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common form of dementia, however it can be difficult to recognise and is often misdiagnosed. Many cognitive, motor and psychiatric symptoms occur in the prodromal phase of DLB, years before clinical diagnosis. Delirium-onset DLB is one of three purported prodromal pathways by which DLB develops (McKeith et al., 2020). As delirium itself is an under-recognised clinical syndrome, this scoping review aimed to determine the epidemiology and clinical phenotype of delirium-onset DLB. Methods Electronic databases MEDLINE (ALL), Embase
Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and mini mental test as characterization tools in a South American cohort with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Introduction: T2DM prevalence increased in the elderly, leading to cognitive impairment, depression and disability impacting quality of life. A study evaluated the mental health of geriatric T2DM patients receiving primary care in Merida. This would guide timely preventive and therapeutic interventions to enhance these patients' and families' quality of life.T2DM prevalence increased in the elderly, leading to cognitive impairment, depression and disability impacting quality of life. A study evaluated the mental health of geriatric T2DM patients receiving primary care in Merida. This would
Evaluation of a Novel Screening Protocol for Respiratory Viral Infections in Long-Term Care Homes
Introduction Respiratory viral illnesses (RVI) pose a serious threat to LTC residents. Those with frailty often experience non-specific presentations causing delayed diagnosis and treatment of infection. To facilitate early RVI detection, a screening protocol was developed to evaluate changes in cognitive and functional status of LTC residents using the Single Question in Delirium (SQiD) with new Single Question in Functioning (SQiF) and Single Question in Reduced Mobility (SQiRM). This study aims to address: (i) If novel (SQiD/SQiF/SQiRM) screening was superior to public health in detecting
Prevalence of delirium, dementia and cognitive test deficits, hospital-wide and by specialty, in >50,000 unplanned admissions
Introduction: Over one-third of older people with unplanned admissions to hospital are frail, but data on the burden of delirium, dementia and other cognitive frailty are lacking. Reliable hospital-wide and specialty-specific prevalence estimates are needed for service-planning including understanding the role of non-geriatricians in caring for this population. Methods: ORCHARD includes pseudo-anonymised EPR data for consecutive admissions with a length of stay of >1 day (2017-2019) to four hospitals in Oxfordshire (population=800,000). Data are collected using a standard cognitive screen
National Trends in Motor Neurone Disease-Associated Mortality from 1999-2020
Introduction Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a neurodegenerative condition affecting the spinal cord and brainstem, commonly associated with a reduced life expectancy. This study describes demographic trends in MND-associated mortality in the United States over 20 years. Methods Data were extracted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging OnLine Data for Epidemiologic Research Underlying Cause of Death database. Death certificates from 1999-2020 with MND (International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision code G12.2) recorded as the cause of mortality were extracted
Models of care and the role of clinical pharmacists in UK primary care for older people: findings from a scoping review
Introduction. Pharmacists have traditionally worked in primary care, in the community, and with GPs. However, the role of the clinical pharmacist in primary care is evolving and there are plans to employ more clinical pharmacists in the NHS. With an ageing UK population, there is an increase in the number of people living with multiple long-term conditions, accompanied by polypharmacy, posing numerous challenges to healthcare systems. This review investigates the evidence about the varied roles and services delivered by clinical pharmacists in primary care, capturing the perspectives of health
Mind the HAP – an initiative to improve the diagnosis, management and prevention of Hospital Acquired Pneumonia on the Elderly care wards at the Royal Berkshire Hospital
The commonest nosocomial infection in the UK is Hospital Acquired Pneumonia (HAP), associated with prolonged length of stay and mortality. The HAP incidence on Elderly care wards was > 5% of admissions, exceeding the national average. An initiative ‘Mind the HAP’ was launched which included doctors, nurses, pharmacists, SLTs, physiotherapists and coders to improve HAP diagnosis, management and prevention. Methods: To monitor the effectiveness of the interventions 3 audit cycles were performed between 2019 and 2023. Several interventions were implemented between 2019 - 2023.A multidisciplinary
Clinical pharmacists working in primary care supporting people living with dementia: a UK survey
Background: Clinical pharmacists are increasingly working as part of primary care teams in UK. Many people living with dementia live at home with the support of primary care. Given the complexity of their health problems and their use of several medications, clinical pharmacists may potentially play a crucial role in their support Aims: To explore clinical pharmacists’ experiences of working in primary care with people living with dementia and identify any specific training needs to provide effective support for this patient group. Methods: An online survey sent via email in 2023 through
Modified Hospital Frailty Risk Score (mHFRS) as a Tool to Identify Frail Hospitalised Older Adults
Introduction: Frailty is common in hospitalised older adults. This study compared efficacy of a modified Hospital Frailty Risk Score (mHFRS) to standard HFRS and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) to determine whether mHFRS can be used to identify frail hospitalised patients. Methods: Anonymised retrospective review of Electronic Health Records was undertaken in patients =>65 years old attending the Emergency Department (ED) and admitted to hospital 1st July 2022 to 31st March 2023. mHFRS utilises 2 prior emergency admissions within 2 years to generate a frailty risk score, whereas HFRS requires an
A comprehensive profile of a retrospective care home cohort using linked health and social care data
A comprehensive profile of a retrospective care home cohort using linked health and social care data
Introduction: Many UK care home (CH) residents live with multiple long-term conditions, leading to high levels of healthcare utilisation. Previous studies have used routine data to describe their health and social care characteristics separately. Accurately identifying when an individual is admitted to a CH from routine data is challenging. This study aims to provide a combined health and social care profile of a cohort of long-stay CH residents, at the point of admission, using linked primary, secondary and social care data. Methods: Individuals aged 65 and over registered to a GP practice
Improving the quality and breadth of advance care planning discussions on gerontology wards in an acute London trust
Introduction Advance care planning (ACP) offers people the opportunity to plan their future care whilst they have capacity to do so and is supported by national guidance. Decisions regarding future care are more likely to be individualised and holistic when patients and their significant others are involved. This QI project aimed to address this by increasing the frequency of ACP discussions being offered and recorded on gerontology wards in an acute London Trust. Method A multi-professional steering group was established to improve ACP using PDSA methodology. A new ACP toolkit, training
A survey of the underlying knowledge of doctors in conducting polypharmacy review and medication optimisation in older adults
Introduction: Polypharmacy is common amongst older adults and could result in adverse outcomes if not reviewed and optimised regularly (Davies et al, 2020). The aim of this survey is to assess and report on the variation in doctors’ understanding of medication reviews at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals (MTW). Method: A short, anonymised, online questionnaire was circulated to all current doctors at MTW via email and WhatsApp groups. Results: 38 doctors of different grades (Foundation Year One-Consultant) from a variety of medical and surgical specialties responded. Of these, 41% could
Disease Trajectories and Medical Expenditures of Older Long-term Care Residents in China: Prospective Observational Study
Introduction: Global aging and an increasing disability population impose huge health and economic burdens on societies, and understanding the impact of disability on mortality and medical expenditures among the elderly is vital. Methods: This study was based on the government-led long-term care insurance program initiated in July 2017 and followed up to June 2021. Diagnosis and hospitalization costs were extracted from electronic medical records and medical insurance system. The networks of the disease trajectories were established by combining disease pairs with overlapping diseases. Medical
Physical and mental health needs of older transgender adults in the U.K.: A scoping review
Introduction: The number of adults in the UK who identify as transgender is increasing, through greater recognition of trans identity and growing numbers of individuals transitioning in later life. The term “Transgender” encompasses a diverse range of experiences and identities, including those who identify as non-binary, gender-fluid, and gender-queer. However, within this review, we use the shortened term “trans” and the following broad definition: “people whose gender is different from the gender assigned to them at birth.” We conducted this exploratory review to examine the literature
Disease Burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in Adults 60+ in the United Kingdom: Targeted Literature Review (TLR)
BACKGROUND RSV is one of the most common causes of seasonal respiratory infections worldwide, with a marked global burden in older adults and those with significant underlying medical conditions.1-5 It is increasingly clear that RSV infections in older adults in the United Kingdom significantly impact the already strained public health system, especially during the winter months. However, the true burden remains underestimated,6,7 as estimates in the UK are likely to be conservative due to the limitations in testing and diagnostic coding practices. OBJECTIVES We conducted a TLR of existing
Effect of long-term care insurance in a pilot city of China: Health benefits among 12,930 disabled older adults
Introduction: The surge of disabled older people have brought enormous burdens to society. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of long-term care insurance (LTCI) implementation on mortality and changes in physical ability among disabled older adults. Methods: This was a prospective observational study based on data from the government-led LTCI program in a pilot city of China from 2017 to 2021. Administrative data included the application survey of activities of daily living (ADL), the baseline characteristics and all-cause mortality. Return visit surveys of ADL were conducted
Modification effect of disability profiles on the association of blood pressure and mortality among older long-term care people
Introduction: Evidence of the optimal blood pressure target for older people with disability in long-term care is limited. We aim to estimate the associations of blood pressure with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in older people with different profiles of disability. Methods: This prospective cohort study was based on the government-led long-term care program in Chengdu, China, including 41,004 consecutive disabled adults aged ≥ 60 years. The association between blood pressure and mortality was analyzed with doubly robust estimation, which combined exposure model by inverse probability
Clinical Relevance of Donanemab Treatment
OBJECTIVE: To assess in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the treatment impact of donanemab, an amyloid plaque-reducing monoclonal antibody, on readily interpretable item-measures and constructs that matter to patients, care-partners, and clinicians. BACKGROUND: Positive outcomes were reported from TRAILBLAZER-ALZ2, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 18-month, phase 3 study evaluating donanemab as an investigational treatment for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia due to AD. In 1736 participants, donanemab significantly slowed the rate of clinical decline (by 22-36%) as