[Characteristics of elderly patients diagnosed with delusional disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic: A study in a memory clinic].

Aim: Since the declaration of an emergency following the spread of COVID-19, the number of elderly patients complaining of delusions has increased. Therefore, we investigated the characteristics of patients diagnosed with delusional disorders in our clinic.

Methods: A total of 1,884 patients ≥ 65 years old who visited the Center for Comprehensive Care on Memory Disorders at Kyorin University Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021 were included in the study.

Statement on falls in long-term care facilities by the Japan Geriatrics Society and the Japan Association of Geriatric Health Services Facilities.

In current clinical practice, when a fall occurs in a long-term care facility, it is often treated as an accident. Falls are classified as one of the most commonly prevalent geriatric syndromes. As their causes are extremely diverse and complex, their occurrence rate depends on individual susceptibility, even if appropriate fall prevention measures are taken.

[Changes in first-time patients in an outpatient memory clinic -The impact of the declaration of a state of emergency].

Aim: With the spread of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and the resulting declaration of a state of emergency, many medical institutions refrained from providing medical care, and patients themselves refrained from visiting hospitals. We also stopped accepting new patients to our outpatient memory loss clinic. We examined whether or not there was any change in the patients who visited our clinic after the state of emergency was lifted.

Clinical characteristics of older adults with hypertension and unrecognized cognitive impairment.

To treat older patients with hypertension, it is important to detect cognitive impairment at an early stage because of its potential influence on treatment efficacy and functional prognosis. In this study, we aimed to identify the incidence and determinants of cognitive impairment in hypertensive patients aged 65 years and above who visited our outpatient clinic and were not previously diagnosed with cognitive impairment. Among 312 patients with hypertension, we found that 35% (n = 109) and 7.

Medical aromatherapy in geriatric syndrome.

Geriatric syndromes are symptoms and signs, such as falls, incontinence, delirium, pressure ulcers, dysphagia and so on, that often threaten the independence of older adults, rather than the disease itself. Although the syndromes are very common in older people, it is difficult to treat those by modern medicine due to their complexity. To mitigate the intractable geriatric symptoms, we review the efficacy of aromatherapy, especially for dysphagia, dyspnea, cognitive dysfunction and falls in geriatric syndrome.

The Japan Geriatrics Society consensus statement "recommendations for older persons to receive the best medical and long-term care during the COVID-19 outbreak-considering the timing of advance care planning implementation".

Since the end of 2019, a life-threatening infectious disease (coronavirus disease 2019: COVID-19) has spread globally, and numerous victims have been reported. In particular, older persons tend to suffer more severely when infected with a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and have higher case mortality rates; additionally, outbreaks frequently occur in hospitals and long-term care facilities where most of the residents are older persons. Unfortunately, it has been stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a medical collapse in some countries, resulting in the depletion of medical resources, such as ventilators, and triage based on chronological age.

Prognostic factors of 90-day mortality in older people with healthcare-associated pneumonia.

Aim: The Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment, and confusion, urea, respiratory rate, blood pressure and age (CURB-65) scores have been used as prognostic factors of mortality related to healthcare-associated pneumonia. However, aspiration pneumonia remains unclear.

Methods: A cross-sectional, prospective cohort study was carried out with 130 inpatients aged ≥75 years at a Geriatric ward of Kyorin University Hospital, Japan.

Cough reflex sensitivity and urge-to-cough deterioration in dementia with Lewy bodies.

Cough, an important respiratory symptom, predominantly involves the brainstem and the urge-to-cough (UTC) is modulated by the cerebral cortex. Lewy body disease is associated with decreased cough reflex sensitivity and central respiratory chemosensitivity. Additionally, the insula, associated with the UTC, shows decreased activation and atrophy in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Risk factors for adverse drug reactions in older inpatients of geriatric wards at admission: Multicenter study.

Aim: To investigate the characteristics of adverse drug reactions (ADR) and their risk factors among very old patients in five geriatric wards in Japan.

Methods: A retrospective observational multicenter study was carried out to investigate factors related to ADR in older inpatients from geriatric wards of five university hospitals in Japan. Data including drugs profile and short-form comprehensive geriatric assessment were obtained from medical charts.

The association between eating difficulties and biliary sludge in the gallbladder in older adults with advanced dementia, at end of life.

Objectives: In clinical settings, untreatable biliary sludge in the gallbladder can be observed in older adults with advanced dementia. The underlying cause of biliary sludge existence in patients with dementia is currently unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the prevalence, risk factors, and related outcomes of biliary sludge formation in the gallbladder of older adults with dementia.

Protective effects of oral anticoagulants on cerebrovascular diseases and cognitive impairment in patients with atrial fibrillation: protocol for a multicentre, prospective, observational, longitudinal cohort study (Strawberry study).

Introduction: Non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is known as a robust risk factor for stroke. Recent reports have suggested a risk of dementia with NVAF, but much remains unknown regarding the relationship between this mechanism and the potential protective effects of novel anticoagulants (direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), or non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants).

Methods And Analysis: This study, the strategy to obtain warfarin or DOAC's benefit by evaluating registry, is an investigator-initiated, multicentre, prospective, observational, longitudinal cohort study comparing the effects of warfarin therapy and DOACs on cerebrovascular diseases and cognitive impairment over an estimated duration of 36 months.

Cognitive Frailty in Geriatrics.

Since the operational definition of "cognitive frailty" was proposed in 2013 by the International Academy of Nutrition and Aging and the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, several studies have shown the prevalence and outcomes of cognitive frailty. The prevalence of cognitive frailty is quite low in the community settings when the original definition is applied, but higher in clinical settings. In longitudinal studies, cognitive frailty is a risk for disability, poor quality of life, dementia, and death.

Development of the Dementia Assessment Sheet for Community-based Integrated Care System 8-items, a short version of the Dementia Assessment Sheet for Community-based Integrated Care System 21-items, for the assessment of cognitive and daily functions.

Aim: The present study aimed to: (i) examine the reliability and validity of the Dementia Assessment Sheet for Community-based Integrated Care System 21-items for classifying patients to the appropriate categories for glycemic targets in older patients; and (ii) develop a short version of the tool and examine its reliability and validity.

Methods: A total of 410 older individuals were recruited for this multicenter cross-sectional study. We classified them into three categories used for determining the glycemic target in older patients in Japan based on cognitive functions and activities of daily living.

Effects of golf training on cognition in older adults: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Although research indicates that a physically active lifestyle has the potential to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, the optimal type of physical activity/exercise remains unclear. The present study aimed to determine the cognitive benefits of a golf-training programme in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: We conducted a randomised controlled trial between August 2016 and June 2017 at a general golf course.

Relationship between the severity of cerebral white matter hyperintensities and sympathetic nervous activity in older adults.

Aim: White matter hyperintensities (WMH), visualized on brain magnetic resonance imaging, represent an abnormality related to the development of geriatric syndromes. Recently, it has been found that low sympathetic nervous activity might be associated with physical and cognitive dysfunction in older adults. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between the severity of cerebral WMH and sympathetic nervous activity, measured by the heart rate variability.