Valley Of The Sun Homecare Blog Hospital Delirium: The Little Known Danger for Seniors

As difficult as a hospital stay may be, we're at least somewhat comforted by the fact that we're in the right place where we're going to get the help we need to be healed or to get well. Or are we? For seniors in particular, a surprising effect of hospital stays is becoming more and more prevalent: hospital delirium. Termed "ICU psychosis" by geriatrician Sharon Inouye of Harvard Medical School, hospital delirium is both "underrecognized and underdiagnosed." And perhaps even more disturbing, as much as 40% of the time, this condition is preventable in the elderly - caused simply by the bright, noisy environment that inhibits sleep, or a particular type of treatment they're receiving, such as narcotics or anti-anxiety medications. Researchers are finding that the longer the hospital stay, the stronger likelihood for patients to develop hospital delirium. And the effects can be both long-lasting and severe. A full 80% of adult ICU patients showed markedly lower cognitive test results than normal (based on age and education predictions), even though only 6% had any cognitive impairment prior to their hospitalization. And a full two-thirds of the patients displayed an impairment that mimicked what would be expected in someone with mild Alzheimer's disease or even a traumatic brain injury. Since it's not likely we can simply avoid hospitalizations for older adults, how can we best address this growing concern? One... Read More »The post Hospital Delirium: The Little Known Danger for Seniors appeared first on Valley of the Sun Homecare.