Evaluating Medical Decision-Making Capacity in Practice - American Family Physician
Jul 1, 2018 - Medical decision-making capacity is the ability of a patient to understand the benefits and risks of, and the alternatives to, a proposed treatment or intervention (including no treatment). Capacity is the basis of informed consent. Patients have medical decision-making capacity if they...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0701/p40.html
Polypharmacy: Evaluating Risks and Deprescribing - American Family Physician
Jul 1, 2019 - Polypharmacy, defined as regular use of at least five medications, is common in older adults and younger at-risk populations and increases the risk of adverse medical outcomes. There are several risk factors that can lead to polypharmacy. Patient-related factors include having multiple ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2019/0701/p32.html
Anemia in Older Adults - American Family Physician
Oct 1, 2018 - Anemia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in older adults. Diagnostic cutoff values for defining anemia vary with age, sex, and possibly race. Anemia is often asymptomatic and discovered incidentally on laboratory testing. Patients may present with symptoms related to ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/1001/p437.html
Preventing Falls in Older Persons - American Family Physician
Aug 15, 2017 - The American Geriatrics Society and British Geriatrics Society recommend that all adults older than 65 years be screened annually for a history of falls or balance impairment. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and American Academy of Family Physicians recommend exercise or ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2017/0815/p240.html
Pressure Ulcers: Prevention, Evaluation, and Management - American Family Physician
Nov 15, 2008 - A pressure ulcer is a localized injury to the skin or underlying tissue, usually over a bony prominence, as a result of unrelieved pressure. Predisposing factors are classified as intrinsic (e.g., limited mobility, poor nutrition, comorbidities, aging skin) or extrinsic (e.g., pressure,...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2008/1115/p1186.html
Detecting Elder Abuse and Neglect: Assessment and Intervention - American Family Physician
Mar 15, 2014 - Elder mistreatment includes intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or trusted person that harm a vulnerable older person. It can occur in a variety of settings. One out of 10 older adults experiences some form of abuse or neglect by a caregiver each year, and the incidence is ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2014/0315/p453.html
Functional Decline in Older Adults - American Family Physician
Sep 15, 2013 - Functional disability is common in older adults. It is often episodic and is associated with a high risk of subsequent health decline. The severity of disability is determined by physical impairments caused by underlying medical conditions, and by external factors such as social ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2013/0915/p388.html
Geriatric Assistive Devices - American Family Physician
Aug 15, 2011 - Disability and mobility problems increase with age. Assistive devices such as canes, crutches, and walkers can be used to increase a patient’s base of support, improve balance, and increase activity and independence, but they are not without significant musculoskeletal and metabolic ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0815/p405.html
Management of Falls in Older Persons: A Prescription for Prevention - American Family ...
Dec 1, 2011 - Although falls are a common cause of injury in older persons, they are not just a normal part of the aging process. The American Geriatrics Society and British Geriatrics Society recommend that all adults older than 65 years be screened annually for a history of falls or balance ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/1201/p1267.html
Diagnosis of Acute Abdominal Pain in Older Patients - American Family Physician
Nov 1, 2006 - Acute abdominal pain is a common presenting complaint in older patients. Presentation may differ from that of the younger patient and is often complicated by coexistent disease, delays in presentation, and physical and social barriers. The physical examination can be misleadingly ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2006/1101/p1537.html
Anemia in Older Persons - American Family Physician
Sep 1, 2010 - Anemia in older persons is commonly overlooked despite mounting evidence that low hemoglobin levels are a significant marker of physiologic decline. Using the World Health Organization definition of anemia (hemoglobin level less than 13 g per dL [130 g per L] in men and less than 12 g ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/0901/p480.html
Geriatric Failure to Thrive - American Family Physician
Jul 15, 2004 - In elderly patients, failure to thrive describes a state of decline that is multifactorial and may be caused by chronic concurrent diseases and functional impairments. Manifestations of this condition include weight loss, decreased appetite, poor nutrition, and inactivity. Four ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/0715/p343.html
Treatment of Constipation in Older Adults - American Family Physician
Dec 1, 2005 - Constipation is a common complaint in older adults. Although constipation is not a physiologic consequence of normal aging, decreased mobility and other comorbid medical conditions may contribute to its increased prevalence in older adults. Functional constipation is diagnosed when no ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2005/1201/p2277.html
Nursing Home Care: Part II. Clinical Aspects - American Family Physician
May 15, 2010 - Understanding the distinctions between the management of clinical problems in nursing homes compared with the community setting helps improve the overall care of nursing home residents. Liberalizing diets helps avoid unintentional weight loss in nursing home residents, although the use ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/0515/p1229.html
Treatment of Nursing Home-Acquired Pneumonia - American Family Physician
Jun 1, 2009 - Pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in nursing home residents, with 30-day mortality rates ranging from 10 to 30 percent. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of nursing home-acquired pneumonia, although Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2009/0601/p976.html
Anemia in the Elderly - American Family Physician
Oct 1, 2000 - Anemia should not be accepted as an inevitable consequence of aging. A cause is found in approximately 80 percent of elderly patients. The most common causes of anemia in the elderly are chronic disease and iron deficiency. Vitamin B12 deficiency, folate deficiency, gastrointestinal ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/1001/p1565.html
Falls in the Elderly - American Family Physician
Apr 1, 2000 - Falls are the leading cause of injury-related visits to emergency departments in the United States and the primary etiology of accidental deaths in persons over the age of 65 years. The mortality rate for falls increases dramatically with age in both sexes and in all racial and ethnic ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0401/p2159.html
Navigating the Changes in Pneumococcal Immunizations for Adults - Editorials - American...
Sep 15, 2015 - New guidelines in pneumococcal immunization policy reflect evidence for the expansion of PCV13 to persons older than 65 years and to some high-risk younger adults, and afford the opportunity to improve the health of adults.
American Family Physician : Editorials
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2015/0915/p456.html
Ambulatory Devices for Chronic Gait Disorders in the Elderly - American Family Physician
Apr 15, 2003 - Gait disorders in the elderly are common and in most cases cannot be treated medically or surgically. Therefore, treatment often relies on ambulatory devices such as canes, crutches, and walkers. Before selecting a device, the patient should be evaluated to define whether one or both ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0415/p1717.html
Evaluating and Treating Unintentional Weight Loss in the Elderly - American Family ...
Feb 15, 2002 - Elderly patients with unintentional weight loss are at higher risk for infection, depression and death. The leading causes of involuntary weight loss are depression (especially in residents of long-term care facilities), cancer (lung and gastrointestinal malignancies), cardiac disorders...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/0215/p640.html
Constipation in the Elderly - American Family Physician
Sep 15, 1998 - Constipation affects as many as 26 percent of elderly men and 34 percent of elderly women and is a problem that has been related to diminished perception of quality of life. Constipation may be the sign of a serious problem such as a mass lesion, the manifestation of a systemic disorder...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/1998/0915/p907.html
Hyponatremia and Hypernatremia in the Elderly - American Family Physician
Jun 15, 2000 - Management of abnormalities in water homeostasis is frequently challenging. Because age-related changes and chronic diseases are often associated with impairment of water metabolism in elderly patients, it is absolutely essential for clinicians to be aware of the pathophysiology of ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0615/p3623.html
Diagnostic Evaluation of Urinary Incontinence in Geriatric Patients - American Family ...
Jun 1, 1998 - In most cases, the evaluation of urinary incontinence requires only a history, a physical examination, urinalysis and measurement of postvoid residual urine volume. The initial purposes of the evaluation are to identify conditions requiring referral or specialized work-up and to detect ...
American Family Physician : Article
https://www.aafp.org/afp/1998/0601/p2675.html
AGS Releases Guideline for Prevention of Falls in Older Persons - Practice Guidelines -...
Jul 1, 2010 - Recommendations from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) guide physicians in screening older patients for risk of falling and preventing falls among those at increased risk.
American Family Physician : Practice Guidelines
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/0701/p81.html
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