Introduction to the field of Gerontology
Jennifer R. Sasser, Harry R. Moody in Gerontology, 2018
For starters, let’s be upfront about what Gerontology is not, as that’s an easier task than describing what Gerontology is. Gerontology is not the same thing as Geriatrics, though they are often mistaken for one another. Geriatrics is the medical speciality that focuses on the diseases and disabilities associated with aging and later life, as well as the health and long-term care needs of older adults. Geriatric medicine is an area of training and expertise chosen by some physicians and nurses, though you might come across Geriatric Social Workers as well. Professionals working in Geriatrics hold in common a concern with the special healthcare needs of older adults and the prevention, treatment and management of the diseases and disabilities associated with (but not necessarily caused by) adult aging and old age, most commonly heart disease, certain cancers, stroke, Alzheimer’s Disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, and hypertension. Gerontologists are concerned with these issues as well, but as you’ll discover as we venture deeper into our exploration of what constitutes the field of Gerontology, the way Gerontologists think about these and other adult aging issues is quite distinct from how these issues are taken on in Geriatrics. One of the questions we’ll pursue in this book is: How do Gerontologists think about and address human aging?
Age and aging
Laeth Sari Nasir, Arwa K Abdul-Haq in Caring for Arab Patients, 2018
There is substantial overlap between “geriatrics” and “gerontology”, but these terms are not synonymous. Geriatrics refers to the clinical practice by physicians and other healthcare professionals involved in treating elderly patients. On the other hand, gerontology is the inter-disciplinary study of older persons, including fields such as economics, psychology, sociology, political science and many other academic and applied areas. It is critical that healthcare providers, both professionals and para-professionals, understand both geriatric care and gerontology. That is, in addition to knowing about the diseases and conditions being treated, they also need to know about older individuals, both as people and as patients. They need to know how to effectively communicate with older persons, how to be supportive and to appropriately respond to their complex array of concerns and problems.
Urinary Tract Infection
Thomas T. Yoshikawa, Shobita Rajagopalan in Antibiotic Therapy for Geriatric Patients, 2005
Geriatric populations exhibit a wide range of health status including chronic medical illnesses and functional impairment. The spectrum extends from the healthy elderly individual resident in the community to the fully dependent bed-bound resident in a nursing home. The risks of developing infection and the relative impacts of infection vary depending on comorbidities and functional status. This discussion of urinary infection is presented in the context of the elderly population living in the community, representing the relatively well elderly, and the population in the nursing home, representing the frail and impaired elderly. However, there are substantial variations among individuals in both these groups, and unique characteristics of the individual must always be considered, regardless of the residential location.
Key Areas of Interest Going Into 2021
Published in Oncology Issues, 2021
Geriatric Care. We are seeing two important trends that impact oncology care: more people living into their 80s and beyond and more cases of cancer in people considered “old” and “very old.” In the U.S., the number of new cancer cases is expected to go from approximately 1.8 million in 2020 to more than 2.4 million in 2040, primarily due to rising numbers and proportion of people over age 65. ACCC is preparing our members to better serve older adults with cancer and their families with important resources that are ready for implementation at your programs now. Start with ACCC's evidence-based online gap assessment tool to see how your program aligns with guidelines and best practices. Read the customized report with specific suggestions for improvement. Then leverage ACCC's detailed, how-to guide to help implement these improvements at your program. Learn more at accc-cancer.org/geriatric.
Perceptions of older people’s oral health care among nurses working in geriatric home care
Published in Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 2018
Taru Aro, Marjo Laitala, Anna-Maija Syrjälä, Marja-Liisa Laitala, Jorma I. Virtanen
This qualitative study among nurses working in geriatric home care and working in public health care and welfare services was carried out at Kallio Primary Care Services (KPCS) in central Finland. KPCS provides primary health care (including oral health care) and welfare services to a region that is home to 34,000 people, 19% of whom are aged 65 years or older. KPCS serves a typical, homogenous rural; the region includes two small towns in which the inhabitants have similar socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. The main sources of livelihood in the region are services and small-scale industry. Geriatric home care is targeted at older people who rely on personal care that requires the professional expertise of social and health care staff; the aim is to ensure that the older people can live independent and high-quality lives in their own homes for as long as possible. The necessity for and right to home care provided through public resources is individually assessed using the international RAI system. The nurse visits the client from once a week to several times a day as necessary; each visit involves nursing and home help, and can last from 15 min to 2 h depending on the help required. KPCS provides home care services to 400–430 older people.
A comparison of clinical characteristics between old and oldest-old patients hospitalised for SARS-COV2
Published in Acta Clinica Belgica, 2023
Sylwia Szklarzewska, Justine Vande Walle, Sandra De Breucker, Didier Schoevaerdts
COVID-19 geriatric ward weren’t present in all the hospitals included in this study. However, we observed higher co-management of the oldest patients with a geriatrician, which may also have had an impact on improving their prognosis, but this remains uncertain. The oldest-old presented with a significantly higher prevalence of frailty and geriatric syndromes, which requires specific management during the hospital stay, including a focus on pharmacotherapy, fall and delirium prevention, and adequate nutritional support, which are not frequently screened for or managed systematically in non-geriatric wards [30]. Angioni et al. [31] proposed a model for the implementation of a mobile geriatric team in non-geriatric wards during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mobile geriatric teams enable the multidisciplinary management of older adults in non-geriatrics wards, including often neglected aspects of patients’ health status. It is well known that admission of patients with a geriatric profile in geriatric wards improves survival and outcomes such as quality of life and the risk of readmission [32]. A geriatric expertise is especially useful for the care of the frail older patients, which have the highest risk of mortality.
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