Geriatric Syndromes [Autosaved].pptx

Geriatric Syndromes
Moderator : Dr. R . S. Ahlawat
Presented By : Dr. Mohd. Junaid Khan

Introduction
• Ageing is usually defined as a progressive process associated with
deterioration in structure and function, leading to increased
susceptibility to disease and mortality and is often associated with
impaired reproductive capacity. .

Geriatric syndromes
• Geriatric syndromes refer to “multifactorial health conditions that
occur when the accumulated effects of impairments in multiple
systems render (an older) person vulnerable to situational changes”.
• A geriatric syndrome usually involves multiple factors and multiple
organ systems, and reporting of unique features of common health
problems in older people
• These syndromes cross organ systems and discipline based
boundaries, along with their multifactorial nature.

Major geriatric syndromes
1) Falls
2)Polypharmacy
3)Cognitive Impairment : Delirium and Dementia
4)Urinary Incontinence and Overactive Bladder
5)Sleep Disorders
6)Frailty
7) Elder Abuse and Neglect

1) Falls
• Among all geriatric syndromes, falls are probably the most common that
internist will encounter.
• Falls are responsible for potentially devastating consequences for function
and quality of life, as well as mortality.
• The consequences of falls include fear of falling with adverse effects on
quality of life, painful injures including hip and wrist fractures, subdural
hematomas, and death. Falls are associated with loss of function and death
within the year after a fall. For these reasons, internists should regularly
screen older people for falling using questions such as, “Have you fallen in
the past year?” “Are you afraid of falling?”

Evaluation
• The risks and causes of falls are multifactorial.
• Most older people at risk for a fall or who have suffered a fall have more than one
potential underlying risk factor or cause. Many falls are labeled as “mechanical”
and attributed to simply tripping or slipping.
• It is essential to recognize, however, that older people who trip or slip may have a
variety of underlying reversible conditions that could have contributed to the
event.
• In addition to evaluating the patient who has fallen for injury, it is critical to
determine, to the extent possible, whether the patient had a syncopal episode or a
seizure, which dictates a very different approach to evaluation and management.

approach to an older person who reports a history of one or more falls in the past 6 months

Immediate Post Fall Evaluation
• History –
1)Circumstances surrounding the fall(e.g accidental slips , slippery floors or after
any medication)
2)Premonitory symptoms ass. with fall(e.g Dizziness ,chest pain ,palpitation, focal
neurological symptoms, symptoms of seizure)
3)Exclude syncope or seizure
4)Medications chronic or within few hours after fall (e.g anti hypertensive, nitrates,
beta blockers , sedatives, hypoglycemic drugs)
5) Excessive alcohol intake

Physical examination
1)Exclude physical injury
2) Exclude any acute illness
3)Signs of condition that increases the risk of fall
• Poor visual acuity
• CVS- arrythmia , carotid bruit, heart failure
• CNS- tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia ,cerebellar signs , gait and balance
• Degenerative joint disease causing pain
• Laboratory and imaging should be guided by history and examination

Management
• Immediately after a fall, injuries and underlying acute illnesses should be
identified and treated.
• Because the causes of and risk factors for falls are often multifactorial ,
management commonly requires multiple interventions in the same
patient.
• Among the most common and effective interventions are physical therapy
for strengthening and balance.

Management for underlying causes of falls
• CVS-
• Arrhythmia- anti arrhythmic medication , ablation , pacemaker (acc. to nature of
arrhythmia)
• Postural hypotension – Reduce hypotensive drugs , hydration , stockings ,
medication (midodrine , fludrocortisone) , adaptive behaviour.
• Hypertension – manage carefully to avoid hypotension.
• CNS-
• Cervical spondylosis – neck brace , physical therapy
• Parkinson’s disease – anti parkinsonian medication
• Visual impairment – ophthalmology evaluation

Management
• Seizure disorder – Anti convulsant
• Dementia – supervised activities and hazard free environment
• Benign positional vertigo – habituation exercises and anti vertiginous medication
• Normal pressure hydrocephalus- surgery (ventricular –peritoneal shunt)
• Others-
• Gait and balance- properly fitted shoes, physical therapy , exercises with balance
training
• Recurrent falls – fall alert system for those who live alone
• Muscle weakness- lower extremity strength training
• Vit D deficiency – vit D supplementation

2)POLYPHARMACY
• Polypharmacy is defined as the prescription of multiple medications using various
thresholds (generally ranging from five up to nine simultaneous drugs) and has
been identified as a major challenge in the geriatric population for decades.
• Polypharmacy is an increasingly complex challenge because of the rising
prevalence of multimorbidity, a plethora of clinical practice guidelines,
proliferation of medications that can effectively treat common geriatric conditions,
and rising patient and family demand for medications due in part to television
advertising and information available on the Internet.

• Polypharmacy increases the risks associated with age-related changes in the
pharmacology of many drugs and the risk of adverse drug events. Such events cause
>100,000 hospitalizations per year; the main culprits are warfarin and other antiplatelet
agents and insulin and other hypoglycemic agents.
• Other categories of drugs are also involved, including cardiovascular drugs that can
cause electrolyte and volume disturbances and hypotension, falls, and syncope; central
nervous system drugs associated with altered mental status and falls; and antimicrobials,
which cause allergic reactions, diarrhea, and other adverse drug effects.

General Recommendations for Geriatric Prescribing
• 1. Evaluate geriatric patients thoroughly to identify all conditions that could (a) benefit
from drug treatment; (b) be adversely affected by drug treatment; and (c) influence the
efficacy of drug treatment.
• 2. Manage medical conditions without drugs as often as possible.
• 3. Know the pharmacology of the drug(s) being prescribed.
• 4. Consider how the clinical status (e.g., renal function, hydration) of each patient could
influence the pharmacology of the drug(s).
• 5. Avoid potentially serious adverse drug-drug interactions.
• 6. If there is a question about drug dosage, start with smaller doses and increase
gradually until the drug is effective or intolerable side effects are observed.
• 7. Drug blood concentrations can be helpful in monitoring several potentially toxic drugs
used in the geriatric population.
• 8. Monitor older patients frequently for adherence, drug effectiveness, and adverse
effects, and adjust drug therapy accordingly.

Prescribing And Deprescribing Of Medication
• While undertreatment of certain conditions may occur in older people
(such as osteoporosis, depression, and overactive bladder), more
attention is now being paid to “deprescribing.” Deprescribing must be done
carefully, especially at the time of care transitions, when indications for
specific drugs and patient preferences may not be clear.
• The AGS’s updated Beers criteria includes a comprehensive list of drugs
that may be inappropriate in older people and the rationale for this rating.
The Screening Tool of Older Persons’ Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria are
also useful in identifying drugs that should be reconsidered on older
people.

• Several commonly prescribed drugs should be considered for deprescribing efforts,
including
(1) diuretics and hypotensive agents when patients have systolic hypotension or postural
hypotension that can precipitate near-syncope and falls;
(2) overreliance on antianxiety and hypnotic medications, especially benzodiazepines;
(3) psychotropic and other drugs with anticholinergic activity that can cause dry mouth and
constipation and increase the long-term risk of cognitive impairment;
(4) PPIs with unclear indications because of numerous reported potential adverse drug
effects, including increased risk of pneumonia, osteoporosis, and dementia;
(5) cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine in patients with severe cognitive impairment
who have been on them for years;
(6) hypoglycemic agents in patients with multimorbidity who should not have tightly
controlled blood sugar with increased risk of hypoglycemia; and
(7) statins and prophylactic aspirin in patients with severe chronic illness who are near the
end of life.

• Careful deprescribing is a critical aspect of person-centered care in the geriatric
population. Several general principles, may assist with deprescribing efforts, including the
following:
(1) ascertain all drugs the patient is currently taking and the reasons for each one;
(2) consider overall risk of drug-induced harm in individual patients in determining the
required intensity of deprescribing intervention;
(3) assess each drug as to its current or future benefit potential compared with current or
future harm or burden potential;
(4) prioritize drugs for discontinuation that have the lowest benefit harm ratio and lowest
likelihood of adverse withdrawal reactions or disease rebound syndromes; and
(5) implement a discontinuation regimen based on the pharmacology of the drug being
discontinued and monitor patients closely for improvement in outcomes or onset of adverse
effects.

3)Cognitive Impairment : Delirium and Dementia
• Delirium is defined as a relatively acute decline in cognition that fluctuates over hours to
days.
• Delirium occurs in up to 40% of hospitalized older patients and is associated with
increased morbidity, length of hospital stays, need for institutional care, health care
utilization, and mortality in this population. While most episodes of delirium clear within a
few days if the underlying cause(s) is identified and treated, delirium may persist for
weeks or, in a few cases, for months after an acute hospitalization.
• Normal aging does not cause impairment of cognitive function of sufficient severity to
render an individual dysfunctional, which is the hallmark of a dementia syndrome. Slowed
thinking and reaction time, mild recent memory loss, and impaired executive function can
occur with increasing age and may or may not progress to dementia.

Evaluation
• Regardless of setting, the new onset of delirium should be treated as a medical emergency
because it can be the manifestation of an underlying critical illness.

• The most validated evaluation for delirium is the Confusion Assessment Method, which
requires an acute onset and fluctuating course and inattention and disorganized thinking
or altered level of consciousness. Because the causes and risk factors for delirium are
multifactorial, evaluation requires a careful history, physical examination, and selected
laboratory studies based on the findings.
• And selected laboratory tests, including a complete blood count, comprehensive
metabolic panel, thyroid function tests, vitamin B12 level, and, if suspected, tests for
syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus antibodies.

Evaluation and Management of Delirium
1. Drugs - Consider the etiologic role of newly initiated drugs, increased doses,
interactions, over-the-counter drugs, and alcohol; consider especially the role of
high-risk drugs: lower the dose, discontinue the drug, or substitute a less
psychoactive medication.
Consider withdraw from chronic medications. Pay special attention to psychotropic
medications.
2. Electrolyte disturbances - Assess for and treat, especially dehydration,
hyponatremia and hypernatremia, hypothyroidism.
3. Infection - Urinary tract infections, pneumonia, soft tissue infection
4. Visual/hearing impairment - Encourage the use of glasses and hearing aids if
available

• Maintain Patient Comfort and Safety
• Behavioral interventions - Staff education regarding de-escalation techniques for
treatment of hyperactive delirium, facilitate family visitation if possible
• Pharmacologic Interventions - Only if the patient becomes a threat to himself or
others and other interventions have failed
• Hospital environment - Adequate lighting, reduce noise
• Cognitive reconditioning - Reorient patient frequently
• Physical reconditioning - Physical and occupational therapy
• Discharge planning - Assess new needs based on predischarge functional
status, evaluate social support, coordinate transitions of care, medication
reconciliation.

Dementia
• Dementia is defined as an acquired deterioration in cognitive abilities that impairs
the successful performance of activities of daily living.

• Alzheimer’s disease - a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by
cortical atrophy, neuronal death, synapse loss, and accumulation of amyloid
plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, causing dementia and a significant decline in
functioning.
• Early features include deficits in memory (e.g., rapid forgetting of new
information, impaired recall and recognition),anomia, executive dysfunction,
depressive symptoms, and subtle personality changes such as decreased energy,
social withdrawal, indifference, and impulsivity. As the disease progresses, there is
global deterioration of cognitive capacities with intellectual decline , aphasia,
agnosia, and apraxia as well as behavioral features, including apathy, emotional
blunting, mood-dependent delusions, decreased sleep and appetite, and
increased motor activity (e.g., restlessness, wandering).
Common causes of dementia in elderly

Common causes of dementia in elderly
• Vascular Dementia - severe loss of cognitive functioning as a result of cerebrovascular
disease. It can be due to repeated strokes, a single large stroke, or chronic cerebral
ischemia. It is one of the most common types of dementia. Also called multi-infarct
dementia.
• Lewy body Dementia - a specific type of dementia associated with the presence of
abnormal proteins called Lewy bodies in the brain. It is characterized by hallucinations and
delusions occurring early in the disease process, marked day-to-day fluctuations in
cognition, and spontaneous parkinsonism.

• The prevalence of dementia increases with age; by age 85, between 30% and 40% have a
dementia syndrome. Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, which often occur
together based on pathologic studies, account for most dementias in older people.
• Dementia with Lewy bodies accounts for up to 25% of dementia and is characterized by
Parkinsonian features early in the disease (as opposed to dementia in Parkinson’s disease,
which generally occurs years after the onset of Parkinson’s), personality changes,
alterations in alertness and attention, and visual hallucinations that can cause paranoia.
• The Mini-Cog is a sensitive screening tool for cognitive impairment, and consists of a
three-item recall test and clock drawing. Further evaluation of dementia includes a
comprehensive history and physical examination, functional status assessment (since the
diagnosis depends on impaired function), a brain imaging study.

Key Principles in the Management of Dementia
1.Optimize the patient’s physical and mental function through physical activity and mind
plasticity principles and activities
• Treatment underlying medical and other conditions (e.g., hypertension, Parkinson’s
disease, depression)
• Avoid use of drugs with central nervous system side effect
• Avoid situations stressing intellectual capabilities; use memory aids whenever possible
• Emphasize good nutrition
• Identify and manage behavioral symptoms and complications(e.g Driving , Wandering,
Psychosis )
2.Provide ongoing care - Treatment of medical conditions
3.Provide information to patient and family - Nature of the disease , Extent of impairment &
Prognosis
4.Provide social service information to patient and family - Local Alzheimer’s association &
Community health care resources

• Four basic approaches to the pharmacologic treatment of dementia are employed:
(1) avoidance of drugs that can worsen cognitive function, mainly those with strong
anticholinergic activity;
(2) use of agents that enhance cognition and function;
(3) drug treatment of coexisting depression, which is common throughout the course of
dementia; and
(4) pharmacologic treatment of complications such as paranoia, delusions, psychosis, and
behavioral symptoms such as agitation (verbal and physical).

• Every attempt should be made to avoid or discontinue any medication that may be
worsening cognitive function in a delirious geriatric patient. This may not be possible, and
in some patients, psychotropic drugs may be needed to treat delirium if the patient is a
danger to themselves or others.
• Low-dose haloperidol (0.25–0.5 mg) is generally recommended; more sedating
antipsychotics and benzodiazepines should be avoided unless the goal is to put the
patient to sleep for a short time. If a benzodiazepine is used, it should be short-acting and
in a low dose. Overall, multifactorial proactive interventions and geriatric consultation
have been associated with decreased incidence and duration of delirium in the hospital
setting.

4)Urinary Incontinence and Overactive Bladder
• Urinary incontinence is curable or controllable in many geriatric patients, especially those who
have adequate mobility and mental functioning. Even when it is not curable, incontinence can
be managed in a manner that keeps people comfortable, makes life easier for caregivers, and
minimizes the costs of caring for the condition and its complications.
• The prevalence is as high as 60–80% in many nursing homes, where residents often have both
urinary and stool incontinence.
• Many older people (~40%) suffer from “overactive bladder,” which may or may not include
symptoms of incontinence. Symptoms of overactive bladder include urinary urgency (with or
without incontinence), urinary frequency (voiding every 2 h or more often), and nocturia
(awakening at night to void). If nocturia alone is the predominant symptom, the patient should
be asked about sleep disorders (see next section). The pathophysiology, evaluation, and
management of overactive bladder are essentially the same as for urge urinary incontinence.

Urinary Incontinence and Overactive Bladder
• Incontinence is associated with social isolation and depression and can be a precipitating
factor in the decision to seek nursing home care when it cannot be managed in a manner that
maintains hygiene and safety.
• In addition to predisposing to skin irritation and pressure ulcers, the most important potential
complications of urinary incontinence and overactive bladder are falls and resultant injuries
related to rushing to get to a toilet.
• Older people with gait disorders, especially those who have multiple episodes of nocturia or
nocturnal incontinence, are at especially high risk for injurious. In addition to the bother of the
condition to the older person or a caregiver, fall risk is a compelling reason for undertaking a
diagnostic evaluation and specific treatment for incontinence and overactive bladder in the
geriatric population.

Evaluation
• Among older women, the most common symptoms are a mixture of urge and stress incontinence ;
urge is usually the more bothersome. Stress incontinence can often be objectively observed during
a physical examination with a comfortably full bladder by having the patient cough in the standing
position; leakage of urine simultaneously with coughing indicates that stress incontinence is
present.
• Older men commonly have symptoms associated with overactive bladder and/or symptoms of
voiding difficulty (hesitancy, poor or intermittent urinary stream, postvoid dribbling); the overactive
bladder symptoms are usually more bothersome. These symptoms overlap with those of both
benign and malignant disorders of the prostate, and many internists may choose to consult a
urologist for further management because a urinary flow rate and postvoid residual determination,
and further evaluation if malignancy is suspected, are helpful in determining therapy.
• There is no specific cutoff for an abnormal postvoid residual; the test must be done with a full
bladder, and straining during the test can alter the results. In older patients, a postvoid residual
between 0 mL and 100 mL is normal, a residual between 100 and 200 mL must be interpreted
based on symptoms, and a value >200 mL is abnormal and usually influences treatment.

Conditions That Contribute to Urinary Incontinence and Overactive Bladder
Symptoms in Older People
1. Lower urinary tract conditions –
• Urinary tract infection (symptomatic with frequency, urgency, dysuria, etc.)
• Atrophic vaginitis/urethritis
• Stool impaction with irritation of bladder/urethral innervation and/or partial bladder
outlet obstruction
2. Increased urine production
• Metabolic (hyperglycemia)
• Excess caffeine or fluid intake
• Venous insufficiency with edema
• Congestive heart failure

3.Drug side effects -
• Diuretics (polyuria, frequency, urgency)
• Anticholinergics (constipation, incomplete bladder emptying)
• Psychotropic drugs
• Tricyclic antidepressants (anticholinergic effects)
• Antipsychotics (immobility, sedation)
• Sedative-hypnotics (immobility, sedation)
• Narcotic analgesics (constipation, incomplete bladder emptying)
• a-Adrenergic blockers (urethral relaxation)
• a-Adrenergic agonists (urethral contraction and potential incomplete bladder emptying)
• Cholinesterase inhibitors (urinary frequency, urgency)
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (cough precipitating stress incontinence)
• Calcium channel blockers, gabapentin, pregabalin, glitazones (edema with nocturia)
• Alcohol (polyuria, frequency, urgency,

Management
• Potentially reversible conditions should be addressed, including the many types of
medications that can affect bladder function, which should be eliminated if possible.
• α-Adrenergic stimulation increases tone in the smooth muscle of the urethra; thus, α
agonists have been used to treat stress incontinence in women , and alpha blockers are
used to decrease urethral tone in men with overactive bladder associated with prostate
enlargement.
• Anticholinergic/antimuscarinic agents and β-3 stimulation inhibit bladder contraction and
are used for overactive bladder and urge incontinence. In men with overactive bladder
and normal postvoid residual who do not respond to an alpha blocker (with or without a
5α-reductase inhibitor), adding an antimuscarinic or β-3-adrenergic agent may improve
symptoms with a very low risk of causing urinary retention. Patients with severe cognitive
impairment and/or immobility can generally be managed effectively by prompted voiding
and/or incontinence undergarments, as long comfort, dignity, and safety are maintained.

1.Stress Incontinence
• Pelvic muscle (Kegel) exercises & Other behavioral interventions including timed
voiding and double voiding to avoid residual urine
• a-Adrenergic agonist
• Periurethral injections to provide bulking and support
• Surgical bladder neck suspension or sling for severe incontinence, based on
patient preference.
2.Urge and overactive bladder symptoms
• Pelvic muscle (Kegel) exercises &Other behavioral interventions: timed voiding
and double voiding to avoid residual urine
• Antimuscarinic and b-3-adrenergic drugs

3. Incontinence with incomplete bladder emptying
• a-Adrenergic antagonists in men with a 5a-reductase inhibitor if the prostate is
enlarged); an antimuscarinic or b-3-adrenergic drug can be added if unresponsive to
the a-adrenergic agonist
• Bladder training, double voiding
• Intermittent catheterization
• Indwelling catheterization in selected patients in whom risks and discomforts of
urinary retention outweigh risks of a chronic indwelling catheter
4.Incontinence with impaired physical and/or cognitive function
• Behavioral interventions (prompted voiding, habit training)
• Environmental manipulation including use of urinal or bedside commode, safe lit path
to bathroom)
• Incontinence undergarments and pads

5)Sleep disorder
• Aging is associated with multiple changes in sleep architecture as well as multiple diseases and
disorders that can disrupt sleep. Thus, complaints of sleep difficulty are common in older adults.
Consequences of sleep difficulty include lower health-related quality of life, increased medication
use, more cognitive decline, and greater health care utilization.
• Four types of primary sleep disorders are common in the geriatric population: insomnia, sleep-
disordered breathing due to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), restless leg syndrome (RLS), and
periodic leg movements in sleep (PLMS).
• Complaints of bothersome insomnia—the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep despite a conducive
environment—increase with age and occur in close to 30% of people older than 65. Insomnia is
commonly associated with depression, anxiety, alcohol intake, and ingestion of caffeinated
beverages later in the day.

• OSA occurs in ~10% of older adults but is probably underreported and underdiagnosed. It is
associated with medical comorbidities, such as obesity and congestive heart failure.
• RLS occurs in 5–10% of adults, and its prevalence increases in those older than 70. It is almost
twice as common in women than men; family history, iron deficiency, and intake of
antihistamines and most antidepressants are risk factors. PLMS can be found in up to 45% of
older people but is often of unknown clinical consequence and remains undiagnosed.

Evaluation
• Older people should be screened for sleep difficulty with questions such as, “Do you often feel
sleepy during the day?” and “Do you have difficulty falling asleep at night?”
• Patients with significant sleep complaints should be asked about conditions that can interrupt
sleep, such as nocturia, gastroesophageal reflux, chronic pain, and caffeine and alcohol intake.
Specific questions characterizing the complaints should include inquiring about loud snoring
(for OSA), the urge to move legs associated with uncomfortable sensations (RLS), and leg
movements during sleep (PLMS; which may result in kicking a bed partner).

Management
• Patients suspected of having OSA, RLS, or PLMS should be referred for formal sleep evaluation.
• While hypnotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the geriatric population,
nonpharmacologic management of sleep should be the initial and primary approach, as many
patients can benefit from properly taught and adhered to interventions .
• Benzodiazepine hypnotics should be avoided whenever feasible because they are associated
with next-day hangover effects, which may manifest as cognitive impairment and can
precipitate falls and car crashes and rebound insomnia. Patients with sleep-onset insomnia
may respond to melatonin or low-dose trazadone, both of which are safer than using a
benzodiazepine chronically.

Nonpharmacologic Management of Insomnia in Older
Adults
• Sleep Hygiene Rules
• Check effect of medication on sleep and wakefulness
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes after lunch
• Limit liquids in the evening
• Keep a regular bedtime-waketime schedule
• Avoid naps or limit to 1 nap a day, no longer than 30 min
• Spend time outdoors (without sunglasses), particularly in the late afternoon or early evening
• Exercise—but limit exercise immediately before bedtime
• Instructions for Stimulus-Control Therapy
• Only go to bed when tired or sleepy
• If unable to fall asleep within 20 min, get out of bed ; while out of bed, do something quiet and
relaxing. Only return to bed when sleepy
• If unable to fall asleep within 20 min, again get out of bed Repeat these behaviors until able to fall
asleep within a few minutes
• Get up at the same time each morning (even if only a few hours of sleep)
• Avoid naps

6)Frailty
• Frailty is a state of increased vulnerability characterized by a decline in physiologic reserve and
function across multiple systems. Many different definitions and tools to define frailty exist.
• Fried criteria based on the Cardiovascular Health Study have been used to screen for frailty in
clinical settings

• The importance of screening for frailty is to mitigate disability and adverse health outcomes as well
as for the assessment of benefits and risks of treatment decisions.
• Frailty is a three-dimensional process that involves changes at the cellular, physiologic, and
phenotypical levels.
• At the cellular level, frailty manifests as changes in mitochondrial function, the development of
oxidative stress and DNA damage, and telomere shortening and stem cell exhaustion. These
changes at the cellular level result in physiologic alterations including inflammation, cell mediator
dysfunction such as low production of nitric oxide by the endothelium, sarcopenia(loss of skeletal
muscle mass and strength as a result of ageing), and energy unbalance.
• Fried and colleagues conceptualize frailty as a vicious circle of declining energetics and reserve,
whose elements represent both the diagnostic criteria for the syndrome identification and the core
elements of its pathophysiology. The process manifests phenotypically as overall decline in physical
function and cognitive impairment. In particular, the phenotype of frailty has been defined by Fried
and colleagues by the five following characteristics: unintentional weight loss, weakness,
exhaustion, slowness, and low activity

Management
• Although there is conflicting evidence regarding the effectiveness of specific interventions to
treat or prevent frailty, person centered physical activity programs and nutritional
supplementation appear to improve components of frailty such as muscle strength, gait speed,
and overall mobility. In addition, optimizing the management of chronic conditions,
medication management including mitigation of polypharmacy, and identifying the individual’s
priorities could lead to reversing or slowing progression of frailty.

7)Elder Abuse and Neglect
• The incidence of elder abuse and neglect and self-neglect are unknown because they are
often unrecognized.
• The best data suggest that the incidence over 12 months is at least 8–10%. Abuse and neglect
can result in physical injuries and related pain, worsening of chronic medical conditions,
dehydration and pressure ulcers, emotional distress, and loss of income and savings.
• Because abuse and neglect are underreported, are unsuspected, and have such devastating
consequences, older adults should be screened (without the presence of caregivers) with
questions such as, “Do you ever feel unsafe where you live?” “Has anyone ever threatened or
hurt you?” “Has anyone been taking your money without your permission?” Table outlines the
definitions, symptoms and signs, and key aspects of evaluating suspected abuse and neglect.

• Physical Abuse
• Psychological or Verbal Abuse
• Financial Abuse
• Sexual Abuse
• Neglect (by caregiver or self-neglect)

Management
• In addition to treating the physical, medical, and emotional consequences, patients
suspected of elder abuse or neglect should be reported to the appropriate local or state
agency to investigate and ensure the patient’s safety.

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