Clinical Reasoning: An Older Woman With Headaches and Lethargy After a Fall.

In this case, a 77-year-old woman presented with generalized weakness, difficulty ambulating, lethargy, loss of appetite, and headaches after a mechanical fall. This case discusses the management of acute neurologic emergencies such as subdural hematoma, status epilepticus, and bacterial meningitis. Potential etiologies for stroke and CNS infection are highlighted. Readers are led through the diagnostic approach to a patient presenting with a complex array of neurologic symptoms causing rapid clinical decompensation.

Tinnitus and biopsychosocial ramifications of COVID-19 associated with severe suicide attempt-a case report.

The COVID-19 disease has been linked to multiple physical and mental health consequences which may be partially attributed to multi-system modulation by inflammatory cytokines. Post-acute sequelae (PASC) of SARS-CoV-2 infection, colloquially known as "Long Covid", has become an established entity. However, screening guidelines and interventions for COVID-19 survivors remain elusive. The neuropsychiatric sequelae of COVID-19 seem to originate from a cumulation of biopsychosocial factors which may predispose individuals to acute psychiatric decompensation irrespective of a previously diagnosed mental illness. We present a case report which illustrates how cognitive issues and medical complaints may negatively interact resulting in significant depression and a severe suicide attempt.

Autonomy, identity and health: defining quality of life in older age.

Defining quality of life is a difficult task as it is a subjective and personal experience. However, for the elderly, this definition is necessary for making complicated healthcare-related decisions. Commonly these decisions compare independence against safety or longevity against comfort. These choices are often not made in isolation, but with the help of a healthcare team. When the patient's concept of quality of life is miscommunicated, there is a risk of harm to the patient whose best interests are not well understood. In order to bridge this gap in understanding and unite seniors with their caretakers as a cohesive team, we need to establish a definition of quality of life. In this paper, my personal experiences with the elderly will be analysed along with five essays on the topic of ageing. These sources provide clear evidence that quality of life for seniors is majorly determined by the ability to preserve one's lifelong identity. When making difficult decisions in geriatric healthcare, this greater understanding of the determinants of life quality will allow treatments to best serve the elderly. Defining quality of life allows healthcare providers to shift the focus from minimising disability toward maximising ability. I believe this shift would provide seniors with better health outcomes and properly enhance the quality of their years.