Health Outcomes of Elder Orphans: An Umbrella and Scoping Review of the Literature.

Objectives: As the population of elder orphans grows, little research has investigated the health outcomes of these socially and physically isolated older adults without caregiving support. Umbrella and scoping reviews were performed for studies examining health outcomes of older adults experiencing elements of elder orphanhood.

Methods: Studies published 2010- June 2021 and indexed on PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Medline, or SocINDEX were eligible.

Competing Risk Analysis of Time to Communal Residence for Elder Orphans.

Elder Orphans, socially/physically isolated older adults without caregiving support, are of interest in an aging population. Lack of caregivers for Elder Orphans may influence relocation to residential care facilities, including skilled nursing or assisted living facilities, compared to aging in place. Using the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), Competing Risk Survival Analyses were performed to determine if Elder Orphans or those At Risk for becoming elder orphans had increased risk for residential care relocation over nine NHATS waves (2011-2019).

Remote Advance Care Planning in the Emergency Department During COVID-19 Disaster: Program Development and Initial Evaluation.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic caused an unprecedented surge of patients presenting to emergency departments and forced hospitals to adapt to provide care to patients safely and effectively. The purpose here was to disseminate a novel program developed under disaster conditions to address advance care planning communications.

Methods: A program development and initial evaluation was conducted for the Remote Goals of Care program, which was created for families to communicate patient goals of care and reduce responsibilities of those in the emergency department.

Respiratory Distress in Hospitalized Non-Mechanically Ventilated COVID-19 Adults: A Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study.

Background: COVID-19 typically presents with respiratory symptoms which may progress with severe disease. There are standard guidelines for managing respiratory distress (e.g.

Dissemination of geriatric emergency department accreditation in a large health system.

The population of older adults in the United States is expanding rapidly. With this expansion, the healthcare system, and emergency departments (EDs) in particular, should provide geriatric-focused care tailored to the needs of this population. To this end, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) released a geriatric emergency department accreditation (GEDA) to certify EDs that have the staffing, training, and resources to provide high-quality, geriatric-focused, emergent care.

The Conversation: A Vital Element of Nephrology Care for Older Americans Who Are Medically Complex.

The U.S. population is aging, supported in part by continued development of life-prolonging medical therapies and technologies.

"Palliative Pandemic Plan," Triage and Symptoms Algorithm as a Strategy to Decrease Providers' Exposure, While Trying to Increase Teams Availability and Guidance for Goals of Care (GOC) and Symptoms Control.

As the spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues worldwide, health care systems are facing increased demand with concurrent health care provider shortages. This increase in patient demand and potential for provider shortages is particularly apparent for palliative medicine, where there are already shortages in the provision of this care. In response to the developing pandemic, our Geriatrics and Palliative (GAP) Medicine team formulated a 2-team approach which includes triage algorithms for palliative consults as well as acute symptomatic management for both patients diagnosed with or under investigation (PUI) for COVID-19.

Estimated Prevalence of Elder Orphans Using National Health and Aging Trends Study.

By 2050, individuals aged 65 years and older will comprise over 20% of the American population. A portion is at risk for becoming elder orphans: older adults living in the community who lack caregivers or surrogates. Using the first wave of the National Health and Aging Trends Survey, we estimated the prevalence of older adults who reside in the community, who are socially or physically isolated, and who lack caregivers.

Implementation of Hip Fracture Co-Management Program (AGS CoCare: Ortho®) in a Large Health System.

Objectives: Acute hip fracture is common and leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Co-management programs, such as American Geriatric Society (AGS) CoCare: Ortho®, that optimize perioperative care of older adults, have demonstrated improved outcomes. Yet there is substantial variation in hip fracture care nationally.

The GAP-ED Project: Improving Care for Elderly Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department.

Background: Older adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) represent a highly vulnerable patient population with complex conditions and multiple comorbidities. The introduction of a Geriatric and Palliative (GAP)-ED partnership may be an effective strategy to avoid unneeded admissions and improve outcomes for this population.

Objectives: The primary objective was to decrease 30-day revisit and hospitalization rates in this population through identifying patients that could be safely sent home with connection to community resources.

Developing and Piloting a Tool to Identify Food Insecurity in Older Adults.

Objective: The literature shows that food insecurity (FI) can negatively affect the trajectory of many chronic illnesses. FI can be acutely severe for older adults, but screening for FI is not regularly performed in the hospital setting. Our goal was to develop a tool to screen for FI upon hospital discharge to identify patients who may require community food resources.