Geriatrics unit

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality rate in 55 African countries is almost 4.5 times lower than in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) despite Africa having over 4.2 times more people. This mortality paradox is also evident when comparing Nigeria, a heavily populated, poorly vaccinated and weakly mandated country to Israel, a small, highly vaccinated and strictly mandated country. Nigeria has almost 4 times lower COVID mortality than Israel. In this Field of Vision perspective, I explain how this paradox has evolved drawing upon my academic, clinical and social experience...

BACKGROUND: Technology has been identified as a potential solution to alleviate resource gaps and augment care delivery in dementia care settings such as hospitals, long-term care, and retirement homes. There has been an increasing interest in using real-time location systems (RTLS) across health care settings for older adults with dementia, specifically related to the ability to track a person's movement and location. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to explore the factors that influence the adoption or nonadoption of an RTLS during its implementation in a specialized inpatient dementia unit in a tertiary care rehabilitation hospital...

BACKGROUND: Despite the variability and complexity of geriatric conditions, few COVID-19 reports of clinical characteristic prognostication provide data specific to oldest-old adults (over age 85), and instead generally report broadly as 65 and older. OBJECTIVE: To examine metabolic syndrome criteria in adults across 25 hospitals with variation in chronological age. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study examined 39,564 hospitalizations of patients aged 18 or older with COVID-19 who received inpatient care between March 13, 2020, and February 28, 2022...

Phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) was initially recognized as a significant regulator of cancer suppression and could impede cancer cell survival, proliferation, and energy metabolism. PTEN is highly expressed in neurons and performs crucial functions in neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and neuronal survival. Disruption of PTEN activity may also result in abnormal neuronal function and is associated with various neurological disorders, including stroke, seizures, and autism. Although several studies have shown that PTEN is involved in the development and degenerative processes of the nervous system, there is still a lack of in-depth studies that summarize and analyse patterns of cooperation between authors, institutions, countries, and journals, as well as research hotspots and trends in this important field...

BACKGROUND: Centenarians are considered the most successful human biological aging model. However, the characteristics and patterns of research among centenarians have not been described or analyzed. Thus, this study aimed to disclose the historical landscape of global research on centenarians. METHODS: This bibliometric study investigated historical evidence on centenarian research published in the Scopus database. The bibliometrix package in R was used to perform visual and quantitative analyses of research metrics, trends, and patterns...

BACKGROUND: Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) are regularly used in Alzheimer's disease. Of the three ChEIs approved for dementia, donepezil is among the most prescribed drugs in the United States with nearly 6 million prescriptions in 2020; however, it is classified as a "known risk" QT interval-prolonging medication (QTPmed). Given this claim is derived from observational data including single case reports, we aimed to evaluate high-quality literature on the frequency and nature of proarrhythmic major adverse cardiac events (MACE) associated with donepezil...

BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES: Expenditure on healthcare is a major concern in the geriatric age group. The current study was carried out to assess the expenditure patterns on medicines utilized in geriatric inpatients. METHODS: An observational study was conducted on 1000 geriatric inpatients, aged ≥60 yr, admitted to the medicine unit. Data were collected regarding demographic characteristics, prescribed medicines, expenditure incurred on medicines, appropriateness of medicines prescribed and adverse drug reactions (ADRs)...

BACKGROUND: This meta-analysis aimed to synthesize current evidence on the association between the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and long-term outcomes in patients undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS: Electronic databases were systematically searched for relevant studies that investigated the association between GNRI and long-term outcomes in hemodialysis patients until November 2023. The primary outcome was the association between the GNRI (i.e., low versus high) and overall mortality risk, while the secondary outcome was the relationship between the GNRI and cardiovascular mortality risk...

BACKGROUND: Short-term cognitive impairment is associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection but the long-term impact is yet to be examined in detail. We aim to study the evolution of these symptoms in severe COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) between April and December 2020 1 year after hospital discharge and to analyze its clinical correlates. METHOD: A total of 58 patients agreed to participate in the 6 months follow-up and 30 at 1 year after hospital discharge...

INTRODUCTION: Given the growing increase in dementia, the need to control these patients, together with the rise of new technologies, makes a change in the current control system imperative. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We have carried out a single-center, clinical study with two groups, a control group of 72 patients/caregivers, who followed the usual controls in consultations, and another telematic group of 76 patients/caregivers, who followed the controls through of the Tecuide platform...

BACKGROUND: Providing individualised healthcare in line with patient wishes is a particular challenge for emergency healthcare professionals. Documentation of patient wishes (DPW), e.g. as advance directives, can guide clinicians in making end-of-life decisions that respect the patient's wishes and autonomy. However, patient centered decisions are hindered by limited availability of DPWs in emergency settings. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aims to congregate present data on recorded rates for DPW existence and availability in the emergency department (ED) as well as contributing factors for these rates...

OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes between geriatric and non-geriatric patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) transferred to trauma center and effects of anticoagulants/antiplatelets (AC/AP) and reversal therapy. METHODS: A retrospective review of 1,118 patients with TBI transferred from acute care facilities to level 1 trauma center compared in groups: geriatric versus non-geriatric, geriatric with AC/AP therapy versus without, and geriatric AC/AP with AC/AP reversal therapy versus without...

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BACKGROUND: The need for a health care workforce with expanded skills in the care of older adults is increasingly evident as the US population ages. The evidence-based Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) framework establishes a structure to reliably assess and deliver effective care of older adults with multiple chronic conditions: what matters, medication, mentation, and mobility (4Ms). Half of veterans receiving Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care are aged ≥ 65 years, driving its transformation into the largest AFHS in the US...

BACKGROUND: Social support and self-efficacy play a significant role in improving positive psychological well-being in marginalized older adults. However, to date, there are few studies identifying the relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the effect of social support and self-efficacy on hopefulness in a majority Black sample of marginalized low-income older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study used baseline data from a clinical trial designed to increase COVID-19 testing in Essex County, NJ, United States...

OBJECTIVE: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common condition with a substantial negative impact on older adults' quality of life. This study examines whether individual differences in behavioral, cognitive, and emotional traits assessed by the five major dimensions of personality are related to the risk of concurrent and incident UI. METHODS: Participants were older women and men (N > 26,000) from the Midlife in the United States Survey, the Health and Retirement Study, and the English Longitudinal Study of Aging...

The United States (US) has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the world. Due to the aging of the US population as a whole and limited opportunities for early release, the proportion of older people in prison continues to rise. Some correctional health systems have adopted geriatric and palliative care principles to better care for this aging population, many of whom die in prison. However, not everyone who grows old in prison will die behind bars. In this article, we explore existing literature that highlights the unique physical, cognitive, and psychosocial challenges that formerly incarcerated patients face...

Amid a global aging trend, particularly notable in the U.S., there is a growing focus on achieving enhanced longevity and well-being. We evaluated the association between lifestyle factors (sleep, diet, and healthy lifestyle index) and COVID-19 infection in an older adult population in San Bernardino and Riverside counties in Southern California, the United States. A sample of 380 older adults ≥75 years old were surveyed cross-sectionally and self-reported lifestyle behaviors and COVID-19 infection...

OBJECTIVES: Companions (i.e., friends who spend time together) are important for the well-being of older adults. Senior centers in the United States are places for older adults to participate in group activities and form and maintain companionships. However, differences in mobility and transportation may affect the ability of older adults to leverage senior center activities into actual companionships. METHODS: This social network analysis was conducted to characterize the companionship network among members of a senior center in relation to their life-space mobility and transportation resources...

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the effect of the actual and potential ability to get rides from others on older adults' driving reduction at three-year follow up in the United States. METHODS: We analyzed National Health and Aging Trends Study data from community-dwelling drivers in 2015 (unweighted n = 5,102). We used weighted logistic regression models to estimate whether getting rides from others in 2015 was associated with older adults increasing the number of driving behaviors they avoided, decreasing the frequency with which they drove, or not driving at three-year follow up after adjusting for biopsychosocial variables...