Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 92
The assessment of pain in older people: national guidelines
- Authors:
- ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, BRITISH GERIATRICS SOCIETY, BRITISH PAIN SOCIETY
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Physicians
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 13p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Pain is a subjective, personal experience, and its assessment is particularly challenging in the presence of severe cognitive impairment, communication difficulties or language and cultural barriers. As a result it is often under-recognised and under-treated in older people. These guidelines form part of a series intended to inform those aspects of physicians’ clinical practice which may be outside their own specialist area and are designed to help them make rapid, informed decisions. The advice is based on synthesis of the best available evidence and expert consensus gathered from practising clinicians and service users. The guidelines set out the key components of assessing pain in older people, together with a variety of practical scales that may be used with different groups, including those with cognitive or communication impairment. The purpose is to provide professionals with a set of practical skills to assess pain as the first step towards its effective management. The guidance is relevant to all healthcare and social care staff and can be applied in a wide variety of settings, including the older person’s own home, in care homes, and in hospital.
Defining dementia
- Authors:
- BADGER Frances, et al
- Publisher:
- University of Birmingham. Health Services Research Centre
- Publication year:
- 1988
- Pagination:
- 28p., tables, bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Birmingham
Discusses the issues and problems associated with defining dementing illnesses and identifying people who suffer from them.
An in-home geriatric programme for vulnerable community-dwelling older people improves the detection of dementia in primary care
- Authors:
- PERRY M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23(12), December 2008, pp.1312-1319.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Dementia is under-diagnosed in primary care. This study investigated whether an in-home geriatric assessment and management programme could improve the identification of patients with dementia in primary care. A secondary analysis was performed, using data of a randomised controlled trial that studied the effects of an in-home geriatric evaluation and management programme compared with usual care. In this trial, 151 vulnerable community-dwelling patients, aged 70 years and older, living in the Netherlands participated: 86 in the intervention group and 66 in the control group. The effect of the programme on the dementia detection rate was determined by comparing the number of new dementia diagnoses in both study arms at 6 months follow-up. Of all 151 participants, 38 (25%) had a registered dementia diagnosis at baseline. During follow-up, 23 of 113 patients without a registered dementia diagnosis at baseline were identified as suffering from dementia. The difference between the numbers of new dementia diagnoses in the intervention group (19 of 66 patients) and the control group (4 of 47 patients) was significant. (p = 0.02). An in-home geriatric assessment and management programme for vulnerable older patients improves the detection of dementia and can therefore contribute to overcoming of under-diagnosis of dementia.
Assessing older persons: measures, meaning, and practical applications
- Editors:
- KANE Robert L., KANE Rosalie A., (eds.)
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Publication year:
- 2000
- Pagination:
- 542p.
- Place of publication:
- Oxford
Describes the assessment of older persons, offering insights into this art. It combines reviews of the most widely used instruments for measuring a variety of domains (such as physiological status, cognition, affect, social function) and the variety of uses to which these assessments have been put. The effort throughout is to combine information on specific measures with insight into how and when each measure should be used.
Alcohol problems in old age: a review of recent epidemiological research
- Author:
- JOHNSON Ian
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 15(7), July 2000, pp.575-581.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Demographic data predicts that in the first half of the next century there will be an increase in the absolute number of elderly people with alcohol problems. Concern has been expressed regarding the impact this trend will have upon health services, particularly the high costs of treatment and institutionalisation. This article reviews recent publications relating to the epidemiology of alcohol problems in older people and compares the prevalence rates of alcohol problems in various clinical settings. Highlights the importance of epidemiological research, which improves the understanding of the scope and impact of a disease as well as being a vital component during the planning stage for new services. This review highlights some ongoing limitations in recent research.
Functional and cognitive differences between cognitively-well people and people with dementia
- Authors:
- ROBINSON Susanna E., FISHER Anne G.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62(10), October 1999, pp.466-471.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Evaluates the ability of the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) and the CAMCOG (the cognitive component of the Cambridge Examination for Mental Status in the Elderly) to differentiate between elderly people who were cognitively well and those with dementia. Results found that the AMPS process skills scale was able to identify all subjects with dementia, whereas the CAMCOG failed to detect 20 percent of these subjects.
Natural history of Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias: review of the literature in the light of the findings from the Kungsholmen Project
- Authors:
- AGUERO-TORRES Hedda, FRATIGLIONI Laura, WINBLAD Bengt
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 13(11), November 1998, pp.755-766.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The elderly population is increasing more than any other sector of the population. Dementia increases disability, morbidity and mortality among older people. For these reasons the possibility of predicting progression and prognosis has enormous importance. This article summarises the main findings from the Kungsholmen Project a longitudinal epidemiological study on dementia that started in Stockholm, Sweden. Aims to help give a better understanding of the natural history of dementing disorders and provide hypotheses for further research.
Hidden meanings
- Author:
- GEORGE Mike
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 6.2.97, 1997, pp.20-21.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Investigates the problem of recognising depression in older people.
Conversational assessment in memory clinic encounters: interactional profiling for differentiating dementia from functional memory disorders
- Authors:
- JONES Danielle, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 20(5), 2016, pp.500-509.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: In the UK dementia is under-diagnosed, there is limited access to specialist memory clinics, and many of the patients referred to such clinics are ultimately found to have functional (non-progressive) memory disorders (FMD), rather than a neurodegenerative disorder. Government initiatives on ‘timely diagnosis’ aim to improve the rate and quality of diagnosis for those with dementia. This study seeks to improve the screening and diagnostic process by analysing communication between clinicians and patients during initial specialist clinic visits. Establishing differential conversational profiles could help the timely differential diagnosis of memory complaints. Method: This study is based on video- and audio recordings of 25 initial consultations between neurologists and patients referred to a UK memory clinic. Conversation analysis was used to explore recurrent communicative practices associated with each diagnostic group. Results: Two discrete conversational profiles began to emerge, to help differentiate between patients with dementia and functional memory complaints, based on (1) whether the patient is able to answer questions about personal information; (2) whether they can display working memory in interaction; (3) whether they are able to respond to compound questions; (4) the time taken to respond to questions; and (5) the level of detail they offer when providing an account of their memory failure experiences. Conclusion: The distinctive conversational profiles observed in patients with functional memory complaints on the one hand and neurodegenerative memory conditions on the other suggest that conversational profiling can support the differential diagnosis of functional and neurodegenerative memory disorders. (Publisher abstract)
The transition from cognitive impairment to dementia: older people's experiences
- Authors:
- MANTHORPE Jill, et al
- Publisher:
- National Institute for Health Research
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 119p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The aim of this study was to understand the experiences, expectations and service needs of the person who is becoming the person with dementia, from the perspectives of the older person and their supporter or carer. Separate interviews were carried out with 27 people with memory problems as well as 26 key supporters and carers, regarding their perceptions of expectations, experiences and perceptions of the process of assessment and diagnosis. The interviews were transcribed and analysed to generate themes and codes. Few of the participants experienced the system of memory assessment as patient-centred. Instead, they felt that they were kept waiting for long periods of time without knowing what was going on, and sometimes experienced tests and assessments as distressing in settings that could be alarming. Five transitions in the experience of the participants were identified: ‘internalising dialogue’; ‘confirming positions’; ‘seeking expert advice’; ‘being tested’; and ‘seeking understanding’. The findings suggest that transition is not a linear process. Professionals would be better able to provide tailored support to individuals and their carers at this uncertain time if they are informed of the ‘journey’ from the insights of those who have undertaken it. Recommendations are providing relating to: national issues; issues for commissioners and practitioners; and research questions.