Obstructive pathology is a benign condition of the salivary glands that can affect elderly and co-morbid people. Sialoendoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure with a success rate comparable to standard sialoadenectomy and has the advantage that it can be performed under local anaesthesia.

This study aimed to assess sialoendoscopy benefits in elderly patients unfit for general anaesthesia. A group of elderly patients (aged 65 years or more) undergoing sialoendoscopy under local anaesthesia were evaluated. Age, co-morbidities, surgical time, hospital stay, and complication and recurrence rates were assessed.

Nineteen sialoendoscopies were performed in 18 elderly patients with a mean age of 69.7 ± 5.6 years, with some of them suffering from multiple co-morbidities. Surgery was successful in 16 patients, while surgery was unsuccessful in 2 patients because of intraglandular stones. The average surgical duration was 54.5 ± 30.1 minutes, and all patients were discharged 2–3 hours after surgery. No post-operative complications were found and only one patient had recurrence during follow up.

Sialoendoscopy under local anaesthesia is a safe and effective procedure in elderly patients who are more prone to complications.

To assess the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale (PFFS) among patients, caregivers, nurses, and geriatricians in an outpatient memory clinic.

Observational study.

A Canadian referral-based outpatient memory clinic.

Fifty-one consecutive patients and/or their caregivers, as well as attending nurses and geriatricians.

Participants (patients, caregivers, nurses, and geriatricians) were asked to complete the PFFS based on the patient’s current level of functioning. Time-to-complete and level of assistance required was recorded. Participants also completed a demographic survey and patients’ medical history (including the Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE], and Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment [CGA]) was obtained via chart review.

Patient participants had a mean age of 77.3±10.1 years, and average MMSE of 22.0±7.0, and 53% were female. Participants were able to complete the PFFS with minimal assistance, and their average times to completion were 4:38±2:09, 3:11±1:16, 1:05±0:19, and 0:57±0:30 (mins:sec) for patients, caregivers, nurses, and geriatricians, respectively. Mean PFFS scores as rated by patients, caregivers, nurses, and geriatricians were 9.0±5.7, 13.1±6.6, 11.2±4.5, 11.9±5.9, respectively. Patients with low MMSE scores (0–24) took significantly longer to complete the scale and had higher PFFS scores. Inter-rater reliability between nurses and geriatricians was 0.74, but it was lower when assessments were done for patients with low MMSE scores (0.47, p<0.05). The correlation between PFFS and a Frailty Index based on the CGA was moderately high and statistically significant for caregivers, nurses, and geriatricians (r=0.66, r=0.59, r=0.64, respectively), but not patients.

The PFFS is feasible, even among people with some slight cognitive impairment, though it may be less useful when patients with severe dementia administer it to themselves. Further, the PFFS may help inform clinicians about areas of concern as identified by patients, enabling them to contribute more to diagnostic and treatment decisions or helping with health tracking and care planning.

To determine the association between the use of opioids and benzodiazepines and the risk of falls with hip fracture in populations older than 65 years in Colombia.

A case-control study with patients older than 65 years with diagnosis of hip fracture. Two controls were obtained per case. The drugs dispensed in the previous 30 days were identified. Sociodemographic, diagnostic, pharmacological (opioids and benzodiazepines), and polypharmacy variables were analyzed. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk of fall with hip fracture while using these drugs.

We included 287 patients with hip fractures and 574 controls. There was a female predominance (72.1%) and a mean age of 82.4 ± 8.0 years. Of the patients, 12.7% had been prescribed with opioids and 4.2% with benzodiazepines in the previous month. The adjusted multivariate analysis found that using opioids (OR:4.49; 95%CI:2.72–7.42) and benzodiazepines (OR:3.73; 95%CI:1.60–8.70) in the month prior to the event was significantly associated with a greater probability of suffering a fall with hip fracture.

People who are taking opioids and benzodiazepines have increased risk for hip fracture in Colombia. Strategies to educate physicians regarding the pharmacology of older adults should be strengthened.

Evidence concerning when and in which manner older people living in nursing homes (NHs) would prefer to discuss advance care planning (ACP) is still scarce. This study explored the attitudes of NH residents and family members toward ACP and their opinions as to the right time to broach the subject, the manner in which it should be approached, and the content of ACP.

This was a qualitative study using face-to-face interviews with 30 residents (age range 66–94), and 10 family members from 4 Italian NHs. The interviews were analyzed using content analysis.

Three main themes were identified: (1) life in the NH, including thoughts about life in a nursing home, residents’ concerns, wishes and fears, and communication barriers; (2) future plans and attitudes toward ACP, including attitudes toward planning for the future and plans already made, and attitudes toward and barriers against ACP; (3) contents and manner of ACP, including contents of ACP discussions, the right moment to introduce ACP, with whom it is better to discuss ACP, and attitudes toward advance directives.

ACP was a welcome intervention for the majority of participants, but an individualized assessment of the person's readiness to be involved in ACP is needed. For people with dementia, it is essential to identify the right time to introduce ACP before NH admission. Participants in our study suggested that ACP should include palliative care and practical issues, and that in the NH setting all staff and family members may have a valuable role in ACP.

Antidepressant treatment may increase the risk of death. The association between antidepressants and mortality has been evaluated in community-dwelling older people, but not in representative samples of very old people, among whom dementia, multimorbidity, and disability are common.

Umeå 85+/GERDA study participants (n = 992) aged 85, 90, and ≥95 years were followed for up to five years. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to analyze mortality risk associated with baseline antidepressant treatment, adjusted for potential confounders.

Mean age was 89 years; 27% of participants had dementia, 20% had stroke histories, 29% had heart failure, and 16% used antidepressants. In age- and sex-adjusted analyses, antidepressant use was associated with a 76% increased mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41–2.19). Adding adjustment for Geriatric Depression Scale score, HR was 1.62 (95% CI, 1.29–2.03). The association was not significant when adjusting for additional confounding factors (HR = 1.08; 95% CI, 0.85–1.38). Interaction analyses in the fully adjusted model revealed a significant interaction between sex and antidepressant use (HR: 1.76; 95% CI, 1.05–2.94). Among male and female antidepressant users, the HRs for death were 0.76 (95% CI, 0.47–1.24) and 1.28 (95% CI, 0.97–1.70), respectively.

Among very old people, baseline antidepressant treatment does not seem to be independently associated with increased mortality risk. However, the risk may be different in men and women. This difference and the potential risk of initial treatment require further investigation in future cohort studies of very old people.

Older adults are disproportionately affected by disaster. Frail elders, individuals with chronic diseases, conditions, or disabilities, and those who live in long-term care facilities are especially vulnerable.

The purpose of this integrative review of the literature was to describe the system-wide knowledge and skills that multi-disciplinary health care providers need to provide appropriate care for the elderly during domestic-humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts.

A systematic search protocol was developed in conjunction with a research librarian. Searches of PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were conducted using terms such as Disaster, Geological Processes, Aged, Disaster Planning, and Vulnerable Populations. Forty-six articles met criteria for inclusion in the review.

Policies and guidance regarding evacuating versus sheltering in place are lacking. Tenets of elderly-focused disaster planning/preparation and clarification of legal and ethical standards of care and liability issues are needed. Functional capacity, capabilities, or impairments, rather than age, should be considered in disaster preparation. Older adults should be included in disaster planning as population-specific experts.

A multifaceted approach to population-specific disaster planning and curriculum development should include consideration of the biophysical and psychosocial aspects of care, ethical and legal issues, logistics, and resources.

JohnsonHL, LingCG, McBeeEC. Multi-disciplinary Care for the Elderly in Disasters: An Integrative Review. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(1):1-8.

The 2011 earthquake that devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, led to the closure and evacuation of 7 residential care facilities and the partial evacuation of 2 more. Altogether, 516 elderly persons were evacuated. The emergent nature of the disaster was unexpected and largely unplanned for. This study explored the evacuees’ experiences and identified lessons learned for future disaster planning.

This qualitative study used a general inductive method. Semistructured interviews with evacuees were held in 4 centers throughout New Zealand. Their informal caregivers were also identified and interviewed. Answers were coded and grouped for key themes to provide lessons learned for future disaster planning.

We conducted 50 interviews with older people and 34 with informal caregivers. Key themes that emerged were resilience and factors that promoted resilience, including personal attitudes, life experiences, enhanced family support, and social supports. Areas of concern were (1) the mental health of evacuees: 36% reported some symptoms of anxiety, while 32.4% of caregivers reported some cognitive decline; and (2) communication difficulties during the evacuations.

Older people were remarkably resilient to the difficult events, and resilience was promoted by family and community support. Anxiety was reported by older people, while informal caregivers reported cognitive issues. Communication difficulties were a major concern.

The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of dignity therapy for the frail elderly.

Participants were recruited from personal care units contained within a large rehabilitation and long-term care facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Two groups of participants were identified; residents who were cognitively able to directly take part in dignity therapy, and residents who, because of cognitive impairment, required that family member(s) take part in dignity therapy on their behalf. Qualitative and quantitative methods were applied in determining responses to dignity therapy from direct participants, proxy participants, and healthcare providers (HCPs).

Twelve cognitively intact residents completed dignity therapy; 11 cognitively impaired residents were represented in the study by way of family member proxies. The majority of cognitively intact residents found dignity therapy to be helpful; the majority of proxy participants indicated that dignity therapy would be helpful to them and their families. In both groups, HCPs reported the benefits of dignity therapy in terms of changing the way they perceived the resident, teaching them things about the resident they did not previously know; the vast majority indicated that they would recommend it for other residents and their families.

This study introduces evidence that dignity therapy has a role to play among the frail elderly. It also suggests that whether residents take part directly or by way of family proxies, the acquired benefits—and the effects on healthcare staff—make this area one meriting further study.

The aim of the study was to investigate the experience of being next of kin to an older person in the last phase of life as narrated after the older person's death.

Qualitative interviews were performed with the next of kin (n = 17) to people aged 75 years and older who had recently died and had received help and/or care from the municipality in the last phase of life. Eleven women and six men participated, of whom seven were spouses, nine were children, and one was a grandchild. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

The experience of the next of kin could be understood as being a devoted companion during the transition toward the inevitable end, embracing the categories of living in the shadow of death; focusing on the needs of the dying person, making adjustments to everyday life; feeling the major responsibility; struggling with the health and social care system; and gaining strength from support.

Being next of kin to an old person at the end of life means being a devoted companion during the transition toward the inevitable end, including the feeling of bearing the major responsibility and the need to be acknowledged by professionals. This study points to the importance of having access to professional care when it is needed, to complement and support the next of kin when his or her own resources and strength falter. This also includes support to enable the next of kin to remain involved in the care of his or her loved ones, thereby fulfilling their own wishes.

The purpose of this study was to: (1) explore experiences and responses of staff in caring for sheltered, frail, Hurricane Katrina evacuees; and (2) identify how planning and training can be enhanced for staff who may care for frail older populations during and after disasters.

Individual, in-person, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 staff members in four nursing homes in Mississippi, sheltering 109 evacuees in November 2005, nine weeks after Hurricane Katrina.Twenty-four were direct care staff, including certified nursing assistants, licensed nurses, dietary aides, and social workers; 14 were support staff, including maintenance and business managers. The number interviewed in each nursing home averaged 9.5 (range 6–15). Using a discussion guide and focusing on their experiences caring for nursing home evacuees, staff were asked to describe: (1) experiences; (2) problems; (3) what helped; and (4) what was learned. Data were processed using grounded theory and thematic analysis. Responses of direct care staff differed in emphasis from those of support staff in several areas; responses from these groups were analyzed separately and together. Three of the researchers identified recurring themes; two organized themes conceptually.

Staff emphasized providing emotional reassurance to evacuees as well as physical care. Many described caring for evacuees as “a blessing,” saying the experience helped them bond with residents, evacuees, and other staff. However, caring for evacuees was difficult because staff members were extremely anxious and in poor physical condition after an arduous evacuation. Challenges included communicating with evacuees' families, preventing dehydration, lack of personal hygiene supplies, staff exhaustion, and emotional needs of residents, evacuees, and staff. Teamwork, community help, and having a well-organized disaster plan, extra supplies, and dependable staff helped personnel cope with the situation.

Staff of nursing homes that sheltered Katrina evacuees demonstrated resilience in the disaster's aftermath. Many placed the well-being of residents as their first priority. Results underscore the importance of planning, teamwork, and adequate supplies and staffing. Training for long-term care staff should emphasize providing emotional support as well as physical care for residents and evacuees during and following disasters. Nurses, social workers, and other staff members responsible for promoting emotional well-being for nursing home residents should be prepared to respond to disasters.