Common Geriatric Syndromes Paper
Common Geriatric Syndromes Paper
Geriatric syndrome in the term Geriatricians have extensively used while highlighting the common health conditions affecting older adults. These conditions are often caused by various factors and they affect various body parts (Bell, et al., 2016). They include conditions such as delirium, urinary incontinence, apnea, and dimension.
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Sleep Apnea – this can cause difficulty during sleep, and lack of quality sleep can lead to injuries, falls, and further health complications.
Delirium – it is a state of sudden confusion, a severe deterioration in responsiveness and mental functions. As a functional impairment, delirium can be a critical factor in a series of events that lead to a deterioration of cognitive functions, institutionalization, loss of independence, and death.
Dementia – generally, it is a decline in the mental ability, for example, memory loss. The decline is usually acute that it affects the ability to perform life’s daily tasks. In the old age, Dementia can lead to impairment of social skills and cause behavioral symptoms.
Falls – Older adults experience vision problems, medication side effects, weakness, and face home safety hazards, all of which contribute as risk factors to falling. Among the elderly, they are the highest ranked cause of unintended injury; and unintentional injuries rank the 6th leading cause of death among older adults (Bell, et al., 2016). Falls also lead to functional deterioration, institutionalization, hospitalization, and high costs of healthcare.
I once cared for a patient who suffered from delirium. He was a white male of 72 years old. His caregiver reported episodes that suggested confusion. I suspected he could have dementia, but the subjective date showed that the symptoms were sudden. The patient experienced confusion and had problems focusing on an idea and tasks; as a result, they became restless.
Intervention for delirium includes the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP), which has proven to be helpful in preventing of delirium and functional decline. It is also cost-effective for high costs of hospital and nursing home placements in the long-term (Siddiqi et al., 2016). It also helps to ensure patients get adequate high-quality sleep and maintain a quiet environment around them.
References
Bell, S. P., Vasilevskis, E. E., Saraf, A. A., Jacobsen, J. M. L., Kripalani, S., Mixon, A. S., … & Simmons, S. F. (2016). Geriatric syndromes in hospitalized older adults discharged to skilled nursing facilities. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 64(4), 715-722.
Siddiqi, N., Harrison, J. K., Clegg, A., Teale, E. A., Young, J., Taylor, J., & Simpkins, S. A. (2016). Interventions for preventing delirium in hospitalized non‐ICU patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (3).