Risk factors for early and late mortality in hospitalized older patients: the continuing importance of functional status.

Background: Prognostic information collected at hospital admission may be useful in defining care objectives and in deciding on therapy for older people. The aim of our study was to identify admission risk factors for in-hospital and postdischarge mortality.

Methods: The study included 987 patients aged 70 years and older admitted to the geriatric ward of San Giovanni Battista Hospital in Torino during 1995 and 1996.

[Malnutrition and dementia: importance of care during food intake].

Aim of this work is to assess the effects on nutritional status of appropriate care in food intake in demented patients. In a long term care in Turin, we enrolled 96 patients aged 75-103 years free from metabolic, hematologic and neoplastic diseases and not showing signs of acute illness. Seventy seven of these patients were affected by dementia.

Post-hospitalization mortality in the elderly.

The level of disability and polypathology in hospitalized elderly is usually high. Multidimensional and functional assessment allows to identify risk factors for clinical and functional failure of patients. Many studies point out that identifying predictors of high-risk patients is a necessary step in accurate targeting.

[An index for evaluation of cognitive-behavioral disorders in elderly people living in nursing homes].

Aim of the study was to create an instrument (DISCO Index) to evaluate cognitive-behavioural disturbances in elderly people. We considered n. 192 elderly people living in Torino's nursing homes, n.