Background: Undertreatment of pain is a common problem in geriatric care. The aim of this study was to compare the caring staff 's answers concerning the resident's pain treatment with actual pharmacological pain treatment in a cross-sectional survey of the geriatric care population in the county of Västerbotten, Sweden.
Methods: A cross-sectional study in all geriatric care units in the county of Västerbotten, Sweden, including 3,724 inhabitants aged 65 years and over. The mean age was 83.3 and the number of cognitively impaired 2,047 (55.0%). Medication data were obtained from prescription records. The member of staff who knew the resident best judged their pain based on observations the preceding week.
Results: The reported pain prevalence in the sample was 56.7%. Of those residents reported to suffer from pain, 27.9% received no analgesics as regular medication. In 72.7% of those cases with reported pain and no pharmacological treatment, the staff member who knew the resident best still thought that the resident was receiving treatment for her/his pain.
Conclusion: A large proportion of the old people in geriatric care settings suffer from pain, and undertreatment of pain appears to be a significant problem. Even when the resident was not receiving pharmacological treatment for their pain, the assessor, who was expected to know the resident best, still believed in a majority of cases that the resident was receiving treatment. This highlights the need for better communication between the various professional categories involved in geriatric care.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afj067 | DOI Listing |
Drugs Aging
January 2025
Program for the Care and Study of the Aging Heart, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, 420 East 70th St, New York, NY, LH-36510063, USA.
There are several pharmacologic agents that have been touted as guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, it is important to recognize that older adults with HFpEF also contend with an increased risk for adverse effects from medications due to age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medications, as well as the concurrence of geriatric conditions such as polypharmacy and frailty. With this review, we discuss the underlying evidence for the benefits of various treatments in HFpEF and incorporate key considerations for older adults, a subpopulation that may be at higher risk for adverse drug events.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Oncol Rep
January 2025
Radiation Oncology Department, General Regional Hospital "F.Miulli", Acquaviva Delle Fonti, Bari, Italy.
Purpose Of Review: Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare entity which often arises in elderly people. Aim of this review is to evaluate the principal issues related to MBC in elderly, because the therapeutic management of disease is not only related to the biological behavior of the tumor, but also to the comorbidities and frailty of older population. A scoping literature review was performed on Pubmed and Cochrane Database using the following keywords: therapeutic management/ male/ breast cancer/ elderly patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSleep Breath
January 2025
Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No.1 Da Hua Road, Dong Dan, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730, PR China.
Purpose: To investigate the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) severity and fat, bone, and muscle indices.
Methods: This study included 102 patients with OSAHS and retrospectively reviewed their physical examination data. All patients underwent polysomnography, body composition analysis, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, computed tomography (CT) and blood test.
Rheumatol Int
January 2025
Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital Oberndorf, Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease marked by systemic inflammation. While RA primarily affects the joints, its systemic effects may lead to an increased cerebro- and cardiovascular risk. Atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries is a significant risk factor for cerebrovascular events and serves as a surrogate marker for cardiovascular risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Qual Health Care
January 2025
Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Background: Hospitals face mounting pressure to reduce unplanned utilization amid rising healthcare demands from an aging population. The Case management for At-Risk patients in the Emergency Department (CARED) program is among the first ED transitional care strategies to focus on both frail older adults and Emergency Department (ED) re-attenders to reduce acute hospital utilization. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the CARED program in reducing hospital (re)admissions and ED re-attendances within 30- and 60-days post-discharge.
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