Chronic Diseases In Geriatric Patients

The incidence of multiple chronic diseases affecting a single individual is common among elderly patients. This incidence is believed to be associated with a decline in many health outcomes, including quality of life, mobility, functional ability, increased frequency of hospitalizations, psychological distress, mortality and the use of health care resources. Health in elderly patients can fluctuate significantly, thus prompting the need for proper integration of comprehensive geriatric care. An increasing amount of data gained from research programs is making it clear that a geriatric assessment identifies many problems in older people with chronic diseases, adds prognostic information, and might improve the outcomes of these patients. This volume reviews research on the value of geriatric programs in different subspecialties of internal medicine. Chapters of this book cover different chronic diseases (coronary artery disease, kidney disease, diabetes, osteoporosis etc.) separately and present new findings in these areas. Readers – both medical students and researchers – will find the book an essential for understanding requirements and nuances of specialized geriatric programs in the healthcare sector.

Focusing on the most prevalent conditions affecting seniors - including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, and fibromyalgia - Morewitz and Goldstein analyze the impact of chronic disease on aging. Separate chapters are devoted to cognitive changes, psychological problems, and trends in health care utilization, and all chapters are amplified by current research findings.

As the first of the nation's 78 million baby boomers begin reaching age 65 in 2011, they will face a health care workforce that is too small and woefully unprepared to meet their specific health needs. Retooling for an Aging America calls for bold initiatives starting immediately to train all health care providers in the basics of geriatric care and to prepare family members and other informal caregivers, who currently receive little or no training in how to tend to their aging loved ones. The book also recommends that Medicare, Medicaid, and other health plans pay higher rates to boost recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and care aides. Educators and health professional groups can use Retooling for an Aging America to institute or increase formal education and training in geriatrics. Consumer groups can use the book to advocate for improving the care for older adults. Health care professional and occupational groups can use it to improve the quality of health care jobs.

"The incidence of multiple chronic diseases affecting a single individual is high among elderly patients. This incidence is believed to be associated with a decline in many health outcomes, including quality of life, mobility, functional ability, increased"

As the Baby Boomers age, concerns over healthcare systems' abilities to accommodate geriatric patients grow increasingly challenging. This is especially true with the population deemed to be “the oldest of the old,” specifically those over the age of 85. Unlike any other time in history, this demographic is the fastest growing segment of most developed countries. In the United States the oldest old is projected to double from 4.3 million to 9.6 million by 2030. The increased life expectancy of the population since the early 1900s has been built on the improvement of living conditions, diet, public health and advancement in medical care. With this we have seen a steady decline in the age-specific prevalence of vascular and heart diseases, stroke and even dementia. Older persons are healthier today than their counterparts decades ago. More importantly than in any other age group, the care of the oldest old must be individualized; management decisions should be made taking into consideration the older persons’ expressed wishes, quality of life, function and mental capacity. The inevitable consequence is that there will be an increase in the prevalence of older persons with chronic diseases, multiple co-existing pathologies and neuro-degenerative diseases. The oldest of the aging population are often excluded from drug trials and their treatments are largely based on findings extrapolated from that of the younger old. Furthermore, among the oldest old, physiologically they are more diverse than other segments of the population. Their demographic characteristics are unparalleled and different compared to that of the younger old. Several studies have drawn attention to the differing attitudes among health professionals towards elderly people and many show prejudice because they are old. As a result, the use of age as a criteria in determining the appropriateness of treatment is of very limited validity, yet there are limited resources that guide physicians through these challenges. This book creates a greater awareness of these challenges and offers practical guidelines for working within the infrastructures vital to this demographic. This book is designed for geriatricians, primary care physicians, junior medical officers, specialty geriatrics nurses, and gerontologists. It is divided into 3 sections: General Considerations, Chronic diseases and Geriatric Syndromes. Each chapter provides a summary of important and essential information under the heading of Key Points. Case studies are included in some of the chapters to highlight the principles of management.

The 2020 edition of Health at a Glance: Europe focuses on the impact of the COVID‐19 crisis. Chapter 1 provides an initial assessment of the resilience of European health systems to the COVID-19 pandemic and their ability to contain and respond to the worst pandemic in the past century.

This book is designed to guide all physicians in long-term care, in-, and outpatient settings who work with elders with co-current dementia and medical comorbidities. Chapters cover a wide range of challenging topics, including epidemiological data, evaluation and management techniques to optimize physical and cognitive function in patients with dementia, safety measures, and nonpharmacologic measures to support cognition. Chapters also discuss the unique aspects of managing the most common chronic diseases and the management of musculoskeletal pain in elders with dementia. Except for the introductory chapter, each chapter will include a case vignette to highlight some of the primary challenges of management of the particular chronic disease/condition in elders with dementia, making this an accessible and highly practical tool for medical professionals of all backgrounds. Written by experts in the field, Dementia and Chronic Disease is an excellent resource for all medical professionals treating patients with dementia, including geriatricians, family medicine physicians, social workers, nurses, hospitalists, and all others.

CHRONIC DISEASES RELATED TO AGING AND HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION Report of the Standing Committee on Health Joy Smith, M. P. Chair MAY 2012 41st PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION Published under the authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons SPEAKER'S PERMISSION Reproduction of the proceedings of the House of Commons and its Committees, in whole or in part and in any medium, is hereby pe [...] Within the context of this priority, CIHR notes the need 7 to enhance patient-oriented care, the pressures placed on the health care system due to the aging population and rising rates of chronic disease, and the importance of leveraging resources by working collaboratively with other departments, agencies and non- governmental organizations to address research needs. [...] To increase the capacity of Aboriginal communities to act as partners in the creation, oversight and application of research to reduce the health disparities among Aboriginal Peoples, the Committee heard that CIHR has developed the "Pathways to Health Equity for Aboriginal Peoples". [...] The project was described as addressing the need to balance compassion and technical expertise in the provision of patient-centred care.39 It also heard that this approach, within a health promotion and disease prevention model, has been proposed by the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada to address the evolving training needs of future medical practitioners in response to the increasin [...] This initiatve will help to remove the stigma of mental illness, to allow seniors to identify symptoms and to help people feel more comfortable about raising the issue with their physicians and ask for help.77 The Committee was told of the Seniors Advisory Committee of the Mental Health Commission of Canada and of its contribution to Commission's Mental Health Strategy, which was subsequently rele.