Delirium is an acute disorder of attention and global cognition, including perception and memory, and is treatable. Learning the differences between delirium and dementia is important for professional and family caregivers, as the diagnosis is missed in more than 50% of the cases.
Topics: healthcare, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, dementia, compassionate touch, Dementia Live, Hospital Professionals, family caregivers, professionals, families, AGE-u-cate Training Insitute, older adults, delirium, hospital
Faith-based hospital organizations recognize the impact of partnerships with their local faith-based communities. The important role of faith community nursing programs is to bridge the gap in helping congregational nurses to meet the needs of their faith communities.
Topics: AGE-u-cate Training Institute, Senior Care Professionals, Family Caregiver, dementia, Hospital Professionals, Faith Community, faith communities, Community, families, hospitals, older adults, Nurses, hospital
In my office there is a framed print of Nelson Mandela's famous quote "It always seems impossible until IT'S DONE". I believe hospitals have procrastinated long enough in becoming dementia friendly and the urgency to GET IT DONE is now.
Topics: Senior Care Professionals, Training, leadership, dementia friendly, education, families, hospital, staff, implementation plans, patients, communication skills, holistic therapies
When elderly people spend time in a hospital, they often leave more disabled than when they got there. That’s pretty stunning considering the condition they may be in when admitted. Some of the most common reasons for hospitalization are injuries from a fall, pneumonia, infection, cardiovascular disease and dehydration. Treatment of the acute condition frequently doesn’t include special care needed to prevent rapid, and sometimes irreversible, physical and mental deterioration. Weakness from bedrest, weight loss, adverse drug reactions, delirium, and hospital-acquired infection are all too common. At a time with people 65 and older make up the fastest-growing segment of our population, our hospitals should take notice. Fortunately, some are. Special services such as the Acute Care for Elders (ACE) unit exist, but in only small number of our 5000+ hospitals in the U.S. What’s different about this specialized care? There’s a greater emphasis on maintaining mobility and preventing functional decline, cognitive assessment, a communal dining room to encourage better nutrition and social interaction, early discharge planning, and staff with training in geriatrics play key roles. I’m glad to see that hospitals are addressing this pressing issue, but wonder if it’s enough to prepare for the sheer number of us baby boomers beginning to need this kind of care.
Topics: Senior Care Professionals, elderly, hospital care, hospital
