SPEAK. A mnemonic tool for addressing health literacy concerns in geriatric clinical encounters.

Healthcare providers can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the care they provide by recognizing their patients' health literacy. Health literacy is defined as "the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions." It is a measure of the clarity of the communication between the healthcare system and the patient.

The prevalence of undiagnosed geriatric health conditions among adult protective service clients.

Purpose: We sought to determine the prevalence of remediable health conditions from in-home geriatric assessments of referred adult protective service (APS) clients suffering elder mistreatment.

Design And Methods: We used a retrospective cohort study of 211 APS clients (74% female; age, M = 77 years) in two central New Jersey counties.

Results: Dementia was the most frequent diagnosis (62% prevalence) and was positively correlated with occurrences of financial exploitation (R =.

Interventions from home-based geriatric assessments of adult protective service clients suffering elder mistreatment.

Objectives: To describe the interventions for adult protective service (APS) clients referred for geriatric assessment.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: In-home geriatric assessments conducted in two New Jersey counties.

Hospice use for the patient with advanced Alzheimer's disease: the role of the geriatric psychiatrist.

Advanced Alzheimer's disease (AD) can place an immense burden on caregivers as they struggle to provide end-of-life (EOL) care for the patient. Palliative care, as delivered by hospice, provides a viable solution. Hospice maintains the patient's quality of life (QOL) and helps the family during the grieving process.

Hospice use for the patient with advanced Alzheimer's disease: the role of the geriatric psychiatrist.

Advanced Alzheimer's disease (AD) can place an immense burden on caregivers as they struggle to provide end-of-life (EOL) care for the patient. Palliative care, as delivered by hospice, provides a viable solution. Hospice maintains the patient's quality of life (QOL) and helps the family during the grieving process.

Four models of medical education about elder mistreatment.

The authors describe four models of incorporating elder-mistreatment curricular content and collaboration with adult protective service (APS) community service agencies into geriatrics medical education. Geriatrics education programs at four academic health centers-the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; the University of California, Irvine College of Medicine; Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Baylor College of Medicine Geriatrics Program at the Harris County Hospital District, Houston, Texas-were surveyed and information collated. All programs incorporated direct interactions between learners and APS workers into their teaching programs.

The ETHNIC(S) mnemonic: a clinical tool for ethnogeriatric education.

Geriatrics healthcare providers need to be aware of the effect that culture has on establishing treatment priorities, influencing adherence, and addressing end-of-life care issues for older patients and their caregivers. The mnemonic ETHNIC(S) (Explanation, Treatment, Healers, Negotiate, Intervention, Collaborate, Spirituality/Seniors) presented in this article provides a framework that practitioners can use in providing culturally appropriate geriatric care. ETHNIC(S) can serve as a clinically applicable tool for eliciting and negotiating cultural issues during healthcare encounters and as a new instructional strategy to be incorporated into ethnogeriatric curricula for all healthcare disciplines.

Prescribing exercise for frail elders.

Background: Frail elders often have chronic illnesses, such as osteoarthritis, hypertension, diabetes, and peripheral vascular disease, for which exercise is a proven means of achieving nonpharmacologic benefits, even at advanced age. Exercise has been shown to enhance the quality of life for these elders.

Methods: A literature search of exercise literature applied to older adults and lifestyle modifications was conducted, summarized, and then reviewed with practicing colleagues.