Geriatr Psychol Neuropsychiatr Vieil. 2011 Dec 1; 9(4): 491-498
Moscato A, Varescon I

For elderly living in the community, alcohol misuse is not uncommon. Experience of professionals of social care services to face alcoholism misuse has rarely been assessed. The work of these professionals is to allow aged people to stay at home in spite of impaired physical and/or mental age-related abilities. We studied the experienced difficulties and feelings of professional caregivers for ten aged subjects with alcohol misuse compared to ten aged subjects without, to identify their needs in terms of training for the home care service associations. The participants took part in an interview and completed a research questionnaire concerning their reactions to alcohol misuse in elderly subjects. No significant difference was found between the responses from the two groups. All participants felt powerless in front of the denial of the alcohol misuse by the patients and experienced difficulties with the behavior of some family members. They reported that they would be comforted by the opportunity to share their experiences with colleagues and people in charge. They hoped to meet specialized teams in the field of addictions to develop skills for supporting elderly people with regard of alcohol misuse. Presently, the services in charge of the aged people should review the interventions and training of their employees, especially of those caring for subjects with alcohol misuse, to improve the quality of their actions in an evolving environment.

J Hosp Med. 2011 Jul; 6(6): 351-7
Labella AM, Merel SE, Phelan EA

Hospitalists care for elderly patients daily, but few have specialized training in geriatric medicine. Elderly patients, and in particular the very old and the frail elderly, are at high risk of functional decline and iatrogenic complications during hospitalization. Other challenges in caring for this patient population include dosing medications safely, preventing delirium and accidental falls, and providing adequate pain control. Ways to improve the care of the hospitalized elderly patient include the following: screening for geriatric syndromes such as delirium, assessing functional status and maintaining mobility, and implementation of interventions that have been shown to prevent delirium, accidental falls, and acute functional decline in the hospital. This article addresses these issues with 10 evidence-based pearls developed to help hospitalists provide optimal care for this expanding population. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2011;6:351-357. © 2011 Society of Hospital Medicine.

May 26, 2011 –

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