Why older people stop to drive? A cohort study of older patients admitted to a rehabilitation setting.

The aim of this study is to describe the predictive factors of driving cessation at 6-month follow-up in older patients discharged from a rehabilitation setting and evaluated by an occupational therapist in a multidisciplinary team. Of 95 patients, at 6-month 27.4% ceased to drive.

The association between patient participation and functional gain following inpatient rehabilitation.

Objectives: To evaluate patients' participation during physical therapy sessions as assessed with the Pittsburgh rehabilitation participation scale (PRPS) as a possible predictor of functional gain after rehabilitation training.

Methods: All patients aged 65 years or older consecutively admitted to a Department of Rehabilitation and Aged Care (DRAC) were evaluated on admission regarding their health, nutritional, functional and cognitive status. Functional status was assessed with the functional independence measure (FIM) on admission and at discharge.

Delirium superimposed on dementia: A quantitative and qualitative evaluation of informal caregivers and health care staff experience.

Objective: Delirium superimposed on dementia is common and potentially distressing for patients, caregivers, and health care staff. We quantitatively and qualitatively assessed the experience of informal caregiver and staff (staff nurses, nurse aides, physical therapists) caring for patients with delirium superimposed on dementia.

Methods: Caregivers' and staff experience was evaluated three days after delirium superimposed on dementia resolution (T0) with a standardized questionnaire (quantitative interview) and open-ended questions (qualitative interview); caregivers were also evaluated at 1-month follow-up (T1).

Delirium superimposed on dementia: A quantitative and qualitative evaluation of patient experience.

Objective: Delirium superimposed on dementia is common and is associated with adverse outcomes. Yet little is known about the patients' personal delirium experiences. We used quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the delirium superimposed on dementia experience among older patients.

Delirium superimposed on dementia strongly predicts worse outcomes in older rehabilitation inpatients.

Objective: Delirium superimposed on dementia (DSD) is common in many settings. Nonetheless, little is known about the association between DSD and clinical outcomes. The study aim was to evaluate the association between DSD and related adverse outcomes at discharge from rehabilitation and at 1-year follow-up in older inpatients undergoing rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation of older adults with hip fracture: cognitive function and walking abilities.

Objectives: To investigate the association between baseline cognitive function and the achievement of walking independence and its maintenance at 1 year in a population of older adults who underwent post-hip fracture (HF) surgery rehabilitation.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Department of rehabilitation and aged care.

Outcomes of nonagenarian patients after rehabilitation following hip fracture surgery.

Objective: Hip fractures (HF) are a growing cause of death and disability among older people, especially in the very old. Although the incidence of these events increases with age and nonagenarians represent a population at high risk, few studies selectively focused on these patients and on their potential to recover gait ability after HF. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical, biological, cognitive, and functional characteristics of a population of HF patients aged 90 years or older, to examine their functional recovery in gait (with or without aids), in-hospital mortality and destination at discharge, and, finally, to assess their 1-year survival according to the functional status achieved at discharge.

Are fluctuations in motor performance a diagnostic sign of delirium?

Background: Although delirium is known as a mental disorder, recent evidence suggests that it is associated with short- and long-term impairment of functional status.

Objective: To evaluate whether a pattern of fluctuations in motor performance are a diagnostic sign of delirium.

Design: Case-controlled study with prospective evaluations of 4 groups of patients.

Depressive symptoms and one year mortality among elderly patients discharged from a rehabilitation ward after orthopaedic surgery of the lower limbs.

The objective of the present prospective observational study is to evaluate the effect of depressive symptoms on 1-year mortality in a population of elderly patients discharged from a rehabilitation unit after orthopaedic surgery of the lower limbs. A total of 222 elderly inpatients were included, and stratified according to 12-months survival. 14 (6.

Moderate to severe depressive symptoms and rehabilitation outcome in older adults with hip fracture.

Objective: To evaluate if depressive symptoms affect recovery of walking ability and 1-year institutionalization or mortality in older adults who underwent post-hip fracture (HF) surgery rehabilitation.

Methods: Depressive symptoms were assessed on admission using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), with scores ≥10/15 indicating moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Multidimensional assessment included Mini Mental State Examination, Charlson Comorbidity Index, Body Mass Index, albumin serum levels, number of drugs, antidepressants and Barthel Index (BI) on admission and at discharge.

Clinical instability as a predictor of negative outcomes among elderly patients admitted to a rehabilitation ward.

Objectives: To assess the impact of clinical instability (CI) and delirium on admission to a rehabilitation unit on clinical and functional outcomes (death, transfer to acute care, poor functional recovery) at discharge, in a population of elderly patients.

Design: Observational study.

Setting: Rehabilitation and Aged Care Unit (RACU).

Clinical complexity and Occam's razor: navigating between Scylla and Charibdy of the geriatric practice. A case of secondary hypertension in a very old patient.

The clinical approach toward elderly patients is often very complex and associated with an increased risk of medical errors. This case report is an example of how various objective (related to patient) and subjective (related to physicians) factors may influence the optimal diagnostic approach in elderly frail patients. We also discuss geriatric practice, which must be characterized by the intellectual honesty to refuse any sort of prejudices (such as ageism) and by the skill to navigate between the Scylla (ie, viewing clinical problems as unrelated to each other) and the Charibdy (ie, applying the Occam's razor principle) of the patient's complexity.