RESUMO
We describe the expansion and adaptation of a frailty response team to assess older people in their usual place of residence. The team had commenced a weekend service to a limited area in February 2020. As a consequence of demand related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we expanded it and adapted the model of care to provide a 7-day service to our entire catchment area. Five hundred and ninety two patient reviews have been completed in the first 105 days of operation with 43 patients transferred to hospital for further investigation or management following assessment.
Assuntos
Infecções por Coronavirus/epidemiologia , Serviços Médicos de Emergência/organização & administração , Idoso Fragilizado , Avaliação Geriátrica , Serviços de Saúde para Idosos/organização & administração , Serviços Hospitalares de Assistência Domiciliar/organização & administração , Pneumonia Viral/epidemiologia , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Feminino , Humanos , Irlanda/epidemiologia , Masculino , Pandemias , SARS-CoV-2RESUMO
The association between drugs and falls has been widely studied in the past 3 decades, with increasingly robust evidence of a causal link. Both specific classes of drugs and the total number of drugs taken are associated with falls. This review examines some of the reasons why older people are at greater risk of drug-related adverse events such as falls. We discuss the role of drugs in general and polypharmacy (the concurrent use of multiple drugs) on the risk of falling, with a focus on community-dwelling older people. We critically appraise the evidence that specific classes of drugs, such as benzodiazepines and antidepressants, increase the risk of falling and that falls can be prevented through interventions that target medications.