Servicios de geriatría hospitalarios: desde la evidencia a la implementación real en España / Departments of Geriatric Medicine: From evidence to actual implementation in Spain

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Envelhecimento e poética de atenção às formas de vida / Aging and poetics of attention to life forms / Envejecimiento y poética de atención a las formas de vida

Este artigo discute a possibilidade de uma poética de cuidado e atenção às formas de vida em uma instituição de longa permanência para idosos. O texto ancora-se em uma etnografia que ocorreu em um abrigo para idosos, realizada por meio de observação participante, entrevistas e acompanhamento da vida cotidiana. Durante o trabalho de campo, uma das atividades centrais era um Círculo de Leitura promovido pela instituição. Ao acompanhar essas atividades, a literatura provocava os afetos e memórias dos participantes e constituiu uma forma de cuidado e produção de saúde. Nesse contexto, ler e rememorar também era produzir saúde. Procurando analisar as vivências no Círculo de Leitura, o texto indaga o que pode a literatura e quais experiências provocam. A busca é por entender como a literatura afeta os idosos.(AU)

This article discusses the potential of poetics of care in a long-term care facility for older persons. The text is anchored in an ethnography conducted in a care home using participant observation, interviews, and accompanying day-to-day life in the home. One the central activities during field work were reading circles organized by the home. It was observed that the literature triggered affects and memories among the participants and constituted a form of care and production of health. Within this context, reading and reminiscing also produce health. Analyzing the experiences of the reading circles, the text explores the potential of literature and the experiences provoked by reading, seeking to understand how it affected the residents.(AU)

El objetivo de este artículo es discutir la posibilidad de una poética de cuidado y atención a las formas de vida en una institución de larga permanencia para ancianos. El texto está anclado en una etnografía que ocurrió en un asilo para ancianos, realizada por medio de observación participante, entrevistas y acompañamiento de la vida cotidiana. Durante el trabajo de campo, una de las actividades centrales era un círculo de lectura promovido por la institución. Al acompañar esas actividades, la literatura provocaba los afectos y memorias de los participantes y se constituyó como forma de cuidado y producción de salud. En ese contexto, leer y rememorar también era producir salud. Buscando analizar las vivencias en el círculo de lectura, el texto indaga lo que puede la literatura y cuáles son las experiencias que provoca. La búsqueda es entender de qué forma la literatura afectaba a los ancianos.(AU)

Impact of dementia: Health disparities, population trends, care interventions, and economic costs.

INTRODUCTION: The dementia experience is not a monolithic phenomenon-and while core elements of dementia are considered universal-people living with dementia experience the disorder differently. Understanding the patterning of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) in the population with regards to incidence, risk factors, impacts on dementia care, and economic costs associated with ADRD can provide clues to target risk and protective factors for all populations as well as addressing health disparities. METHODS: We discuss information presented at the 2020 National Research Summit on Care, Services, and Supports for Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers, Theme 1: Impact of Dementia. In this article, we describe select population trends, care interventions, and economic impacts, health disparities and implications for future research from the perspective of our diverse panel comprised of academic stakeholders, and persons living with dementia, and care partners. RESULTS: Dementia incidence is decreasing yet the advances in population health are uneven. Studies examining the educational, geographic and race/ethnic distribution of ADRD have identified clear disparities. Disparities in health and healthcare may be amplified by significant gaps in the evidence base for pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. The economic costs for persons living with dementia and the value of family care partners' time are high, and may persist into future generations. CONCLUSIONS: Significant research gaps remain. Ensuring that ADRD healthcare services and long-term care services and supports are accessible, affordable, and effective for all segments of our population is essential for health equity. Policy-level interventions are in short supply to redress broad unmet needs and systemic sources of disparities. Whole of society challenges demand research producing whole of society solutions. The urgency, complexity, and scale merit a "whole of government" approach involving collaboration across numerous federal agencies.

Application of the Haddon matrix to COVID-19 prevention and containment in nursing homes.

COVID-19 has exacted a disproportionate toll on the health of persons living in nursing homes. Healthcare providers and other decision-makers in those settings must refer to multiple evolving sources of guidance to coordinate care delivery in such a way as to minimize the introduction and spread of the causal virus, SARS-CoV-2. It is essential that guidance be presented in an accessible and usable format to facilitate its translation into evidence-based best practice. In this article, we propose the Haddon matrix as a tool well-suited to this task. The Haddon matrix is a conceptual model that organizes influencing factors into pre-event, event, and post-event phases, and into host, agent, and environment domains akin to the components of the epidemiologic triad. The Haddon matrix has previously been applied to topics relevant to the care of older persons, such as fall prevention, as well as to pandemic planning and response. Presented here is a novel application of the Haddon matrix to pandemic response in nursing homes, with practical applications for nursing home decision-makers in their efforts to prevent and contain COVID-19.

Epidemiological changes of geriatric trauma in the United Arab Emirates.

ABSTRACT: We aimed to study the epidemiological changes in geriatric trauma in Al-Ain City, United Arab Emirates, in the past decade to give recommendations on injury prevention.Trauma patients aged 65 years and above who were hospitalized at Al-Ain Hospital for more than 24 hours or died in the hospital after their arrival regardless of the length of stay were studied. Data were extracted from the Al-Ain Hospital trauma registry. Two periods were compared; March 2003 to March 2006 and January 2014 to December 2017. Studied variables which were compared included demography, mechanism of injury and its location, and clinical outcome.There were 66 patients in the first period and 200 patients in the second period. The estimated annual incidence of hospitalized geriatric trauma patients in Al-Ain City was 8.5 per 1000 geriatric inhabitants in the first period compared with 7.8 per 1000 geriatric inhabitants in the second period. Furthermore, mortality was reduced from 7.6% to 2% (P = 0.04). There was a significant increase in falls on the same level by14.9% (62.1%-77%, P = 0.02, Pearson χ2 test). This was associated with a significant increase of injuries occurring at home (55.4%-78.7% P = 0.0003, Fisher Exact test). There was also a strong trend in the reduction of road traffic collision injuries which was reduced by 10.8% (27.3%-16.5%, P = 0.07, Fisher Exact test).Although the incidence and severity of geriatric trauma did not change over the last decade, in-hospital mortality has significantly decreased over time. There was a significant increase in injuries occurring at homes and in falls on the same level. The home environment should be targeted in injury prevention programs so as to reduce geriatric injuries.

Available active surveillance follow-up protocols for small renal mass: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: To evaluate follow-up strategies for active surveillance of renal masses and to assess contemporary data. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive search of electronic databases (Embase, Medline, and Cochrane). A systematic review of the follow-up protocols was carried out. A total of 20 studies were included. RESULT: Our analysis highlights that most of the series used different protocols of follow-up without consistent differences in the outcomes. Most common protocol consisted in imaging and clinical evaluation at 3, 6, and 12 months and yearly thereafter. Median length of follow-up was 42 months (range 1-137). Mean age was 74 years (range 67-83). Of 2243 patients 223 (10%) died during the follow-up and 19 patients died of kidney cancer (0.8%). The growth rate was the most used parameter to evaluate disease progression eventually triggering delayed intervention. Maximal axial diameter was the most common method to evaluate growth rate. CT scan is the most used, probably because it is usually more precise than kidney ultrasound and more accessible than MRI. Performing chest X-ray at every check does not seem to alter the clinical outcome during AS. CONCLUSION: The minimal cancer-specific mortality does not seem to correlate with the follow-up scheme. Outside of growth rate and initial size, imaging features to predict outcome of RCC during AS are limited. Active surveillance of SRM is a well-established treatment option. However, standardized follow-up protocols are lacking. Prospective, randomized, trials to evaluate the best follow-up strategies are pending.

The geriatric certificate program: collaborative partnerships for building capacity for a competent workforce.

Many practicing health care providers find themselves ill-prepared to meet the complex care needs of older adults. The Geriatric Certificate Program (GCP) represents a collaborative partnership leveraging existing educational courses, with new courses developed to fill existing education gaps, aimed at improving quality of care for older adults. This paper describes the GCP and examines its impact on knowledge, skills, clinical practice, as well as confidence, comfort, and competence in providing geriatric care. Upon program completion, all graduates (N = 146; 100%) completed an online evaluation survey. The majority of graduates reported (5-point scale: 1 = much less now; 5 = much more now) being more confident (88%), comfortable (83%), and competent (89%) to provide optimal geriatric care than prior to the program. The GCP provides a significant opportunity for health care providers to build their capacity for the care of older adults. Key lessons learned in implementing the GCP and suggestions for further development are discussed.

Depresión en ancianos graves con neumonía adquirida en la comunidad / Depression in seriously-ill elder people with community-acquired pneumonia

RESUMEN Introducción: aquellos países con alto grado de envejecimiento poblacional muestran asociaciones importantes con diferentes enfermedades, por ejemplo, la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad y la depresión en los ancianos. Objetivos: relacionar la depresión con la mortalidad y evaluar efectos de los antidepresivos, en los pacientes con neumonía adquirida en la comunidad, ingresados en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos del Hospital Militar Central "Dr. Carlos J. Finlay". Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio analítico, longitudinal prospectivo, con todos los pacientes con neumonía adquirida en la comunidad, ingresados en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Emergentes, del Hospital Militar "Dr. Carlos J. Finlay". Periodo correspondiente a enero del 2018 hasta abril del 2019 que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. El universo lo constituyó 160 pacientes. Resultados: existieron 55 pacientes con síntomas de depresión previos al ingreso, (34 %). El 78 % de fallecidos presentaron depresión al ingreso. La edad media de los no deprimidos fue de 74, la más alta de los deprimidos fue de 80,80. No presentaron signos de depresión 93 pacientes vivos y 43 que la presentaron y fallecieron con una gran significación estadística p 0,000. RR 6,8. Se observó una marcada relación entre la mortalidad y el no recibir tratamiento para la depresión, (37) p 0,000. Conclusiones: la neumonía y la depresión son enfermedades que tienen una relación íntima. Esta asociación cuenta con una elevada mortalidad, así como el impacto del tratamiento antidepresivo en la evolución del paciente es definitorio en el ámbito de los cuidados intensivos (AU).

ABSTRACT Introduction: those countries with a high level of population ageing show important associations to different diseases, for example, community acquired pneumonia and depression in elder people. Objectives: to establish the relationship of depression with mortality and to evaluate the effect of antidepressants in patients with community-acquired pneumonia admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of the Central Military Hospital "Dr. Carlos J. Finlay". Materials and methods: a prospective, longitudinal, analytic study was carried out with all patients with community-acquired pneumonia, admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of the Central Military Hospital "Dr. Carlos J. Finlay" in the period from January 2018 until April 2019, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The universe were 160 patients. Results: there were 55 patients with depression symptoms before the admission. 78 % of the deceased showed depression at the admittance. The medium age of the non-depressed ones was 74 years; the highest age of the depressed ones was 80.80 years. 93 living patients did not present depression signs, and 43 presented them and died with a great statistical significance p: 0.000 RR: 6.8. A remarked relation was observed between mortality and not receiving treatment for depression (37) p 0,000. Conclusions: pneumonia and depression are diseases having a tight relationship. This association yields a high mortality, and the impact of the anti-depression treatment on the patient's evolution is defining in the intensive care settings (AU).

Caring for Chronically Ill Older Adults: A View Over the Last 75 Years.

We explore major trends over the last 75 years that affect care provision to chronically ill older adults. We examine shifting demographics that have altered the nature and dynamics of family and formal care systems. Next, we identify changes in clinical health care approaches, including the rising population of chronically ill older persons and concerns about continuity of care. We conclude with an assessment of the growing impact of the technological revolution on both family and professional care.

A puertas cerradas: La vejez en instituciones en Buenos Aires y el Interior: 1850-1950 / Behind closed doors: Old age in institutions in Buenos Aires and in the country: 1850-1950

Un aspecto clave de la historia de la vejez es el de la asistencia a los ancianos pobres, enfermos o sin familia, sobre todo durante el siglo XIX y principios del XX que constituyen la edad de oro del asilo de ancianos. Partiendo de esa constatación y de los principales problemas historiográficos involucrados, se propone como objetivo principal reconstruir la oferta de instituciones existentes y la proporción de personas atendidas. Para ello explora, en primer lugar las posibilidades y límites de las escasas fuentes estadísticas disponibles. En segundo término, propone una comparación exploratoria con el interior del país y con la asistencia a otros grupos de edad, en particular los niños. Tanto por la centralidad de los procesos históricos involucrados (crecimiento urbano, impacto de la inmigración, desarrollo de políticas sociales), como por la consecuente disponibilidad de fuentes, el caso porteño constituye el eje central de la indagación. (AU)

Mismatch of Subjective and Objective Risk of Falling in Patients with Dementia.

BACKGROUND: Match or mismatch of objective physiological and subjectively perceived fall risk may have serious consequences in patients with dementia (PwD) while research is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To analyze mismatch of objective and subjective fall risk and associated factors in PwD. METHOD: Cohort study in a geriatric rehabilitation center. Objective and subjective risk of falling were operationalized by Tinetti's Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment and the Falls Efficacy Scale-International. Four sub-groups according to objective and subjective fall risk were classified. Subgroups were compared for differences in clinical, cognitive, psychological, and behavioral variables. RESULTS: In geriatric rehab patients with mild to moderate dementia (n = 173), two-thirds showed a mismatch of subjective versus objective risk of falling, independently associated with previous falls. Underestimation of objective fall risk (37.6%) was determined by lower activity avoidance (OR 0.39), less concerns about falling due to previous falls (OR 0.25), and higher quality of life (OR 1.10), while overestimation (28.9%) was determined by higher rate of support seeking strategies (OR 50.3), activity avoidance (OR 15.2), better executive (OR 21.0) and memory functions (OR 21.5), and lower quality of life (OR.75) in multivariate logistic regression. CONCLUSION: The majority of patients showed a mismatch between objective and subjective falls risk. Underestimation as well as overestimation of fall risk was associated with specific profiles based on cognitive- and psychological status, falls and fall-related behavioral consequences which should be included in the comprehensive assessment of fall risk, and planning of individualized fall prevention programs for this population.

Improving the care of older patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to a dramatic crisis of Health Care Systems worldwide, and older people have been among the most disadvantaged. Specific recommendations and reports have been released both at International and National level, regarding the diagnosis and management of COVID-19 in the elderly. However, little has been proposed for an appropriate response to older, frail and multimorbid patients in different settings of care (acute care units, long term care facilities, nursing homes and primary care) and for the management of geriatric syndromes (i.e. delirium, sarcopenia, falls). We presume that the current pandemic of will leads to substantial changes in health care systems, and we suggest some key guide principles that could inspire the provision of healthcare services to older people and their families. These principles are primarily directed to physicians and nurses working in the geriatric field but could also be useful for other specialists.

COVID-19 outbreak: organisation of a geriatric assessment and coordination unit. A French example.

Older people are particularly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak because of their vulnerability as well as the complexity of health organisations, particularly in the often-compartmentalised interactions between community, hospital and nursing home actors. In this endemic situation, with massive flows of patients requiring holistic management including specific and intensive care, the appropriate assessment of each patient's level of care and the organisation of specific networks is essential. To that end, we propose here a territorial organisation of health care, favouring communication between all actors. This organisation of care is based on three key points: To use the basis of territorial organisation of health by facilitating the link between hospital settings and geriatric sectors at the regional level.To connect private, medico-social and hospital actors through a dedicated centralised unit for evaluation, geriatric coordination of care and decision support. A geriatrician coordinates this multidisciplinary unit. It includes an emergency room doctor, a supervisor from the medical regulation centre (Centre 15), an infectious disease physician, a medical hygienist and a palliative care specialist.To organise an ad hoc follow-up channel, including the necessary resources for the different levels of care required, according to the resources of the territorial network, and the creation of a specific COVID geriatric palliative care service. This organisation meets the urgent health needs of all stakeholders, facilitating its deployment and allows the sustainable implementation of a coordinated geriatric management dynamic between the stakeholders on the territory.