In the New York Times on June 24th, Pam Belluck reported on the risk that elderly patients may become confused and delirious while in the hospital. She offered suggestions for family caregivers on how to assist their loved ones from suffering irreversible or serious complications.
The elderly frequently develop hospital delirium (about 70% in research). When I was writing Taking Charge: Good Medical Care for the Elderly and How to Get It, I read one study that said that delirium was missed as a diagnosis about 95% of the time, even though the nursing notes usually carried enough information that a doctor should have called it right. Unfortunately, the consequences of delirium can be serious: these detrimental consequences are common:
- delay in a patient’s recovery
- placement in a nursing home
- increased likelihood of developing dementia later on
- increased mortality rate.
You may read more about delirium in Chapter Three of Taking Charge. "Delirium, Dementia, Depression, and Psychosis: The Importance of the Correct Diagnosis" You can access this chapter without charge online at this link.
Appendix C "Diagnosing Delieium and its Underlying Causes may be accessed free of charge here.
Appendix D "Risk Factors for Delirium" may be accessed free of charge here.
Pam Belluck's article "Six Questions to Protect Elderly Patients" may be read here in the New York Times. Some of the comments are quite informative as well.
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