The 3 Ds of Geriatric Care
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Transcript The 3 Ds of Geriatric Care
The 3 Ds of
Geriatric Care
Depression, Dementia and Delirium
Dementia
Average delay from 1st symptom to diagnosis 2-3
years.
Family recognition is usually how it gets diagnosed.
Caregiver complaints, high suspicion of dementia
Post CVA (30% develop within 3 months)
Post-delirium (30% develop within 3 years)
Post first onset depression (30% develop within 3
years)
Family history – every first degree relative
Age (2% at age 65) Every five years doubles risk of
dementia
Every vascular burden/risk factor doubles the risk
Dementia
Risk calculator
Age
65
2%
70
4%
75
8%
80
16%
85
32%
http://www.memantine.com/image
s/disease_progression.gif
Dementia Quick Screen
Say three words, repeat back
1 minute to name as many 4 legged animals (20 times
odd ratio)
If Animals are low – Alzheimer’s
List year (37 times odds ratio)
Draw clock 10 after 11 o’clock (24 times odd ratio)
Specificity 94%
Large enough circle, joined
Numbers evenly spaced
Time correct – hand placement
Remember and repeat the three words from the
beginning
MMSE
Gold standard
Needed for prescribing of cholinesterase inhibitors
<26 is dementia
Not sensitive for mild cognitive impairment
Deceptive: low educational/economic status, poor
language, illiteracy, impaired vision
Scoring:
27-30 Normal
20-26 Mild AD – Independent
(advance care planning)
10-19 Moderate AD – Supervision
<10 Severe AD - Total dependence
MoCA
Meant to assess mild cognitive impairment
(score <26)
Clock draw – visual spatial and executive
function
Rhino becomes a hippo
Lewy Bodies – attention deficit present
Less than 11 f words –
frontal or vascular dementia – will see inappropriate
words come up first
Peterson Criteria:
Diagnosing MCI
Memory complaint
Memory impairment for age and
education
Largely intact general cognitive function
Present ADLs – no functional loss.
Not demented
Diagnosing AD
Memory impairment
Impairment in function
One of
Aphasia (language)
Apraxia (motor)
Agnosia (recognition, identification)
Disturbance in executive function (planning organizing)
Significant decline from previous level of function
Impairment in social or occupational functioning
Gradual onset – sudden onset is delirium until proven
otherwise
Not due to other causes.
Delirium
Commonly under-diagnosed, particularly
in residents who have a pre-existing
dementia.
Acute and fluctuating onset
Medical emergency
Confusion, disturbances in attention,
disorganized thinking and/or decline in
level of consciousness
CAM
Confusion Assessment Method – Delirium
Sensitivity 94-100%, Specificity 90-95%
20% deliriums never clear
Acute onset and fluctuating course
Inattention
Disorganized thinking
Altered level of consciousness
Diagnoses required the presences of features
of 1 and 2 and either 3 or 4.
Meet Mrs. G.
Pneumonia, treated 1 month ago.
Productive cough
Calling out, worse in evening. Staff
reports that behaviours are most
challenging between 3pm and 7pm. Staff
refer to it as “Sundowning”.
Worries about her son, recognizes him but
no longer knows he is her son. Worried
about having to pay for being in the LTC
home.
Mrs. G.
Lethargy – change in sleep pattern that is
worse over the last week. Sleeping more
in the morning and wakes up around
3pm.
Recently moved to LTC from hospital (1
month). Prior to that was living at home.
Falls in hospital and 2 at the LTC home
since admission.
PMHx
Bilateral glaucoma
Mild hearing loss
Depression & anxiety
Alzheimer’s Disease
Past history of delirium
Past history of LRIs and UTIs
Hypothyroidism
Hypotension
COPD
Graves Disease
Osteoporosis
Osteoarthritis
Past smoker (quit 5 years ago)
Left hip fracture and bilateral wrist fractures
Bilateral leg edema
Bowel resection, prone to constipation - malignant polyps
Recent Diagnostics
TSH 14.87
From admission bloodwork drawn but not
yet reviewed.
CXR 2 days ago is negative for active
process
Medications
Lasix 20mg PO daily
Xalatan and Timolol gtts
L-Thyroxine 0.15mg PO daily
Celexa 40mg PO daily (recently decreased from 60mg)
Spiriva and short acting PRN bronchodilator for COPD
Seroquel 50mg PO BID at 0800 and 2000
Clonazepam 0.5mg PO at 0800 and 1200; 2mg PO at 1600 and
2mg PO once daily PRN
Colace QHS
Lactulose PRN
Tylenol PRN (PO or PR)
Had tried Aricept in the past but did not tolerate it.
Neuro Ax
Difficult to rouse, sternal rub required to rouse
Mrs. G. Speech slurred and difficult to
understand. Family states that this is new and
unusual for her. Able to converse for 3-4
minutes before falling back asleep. Able to
follow directions but shows inattention.
Bilateral grip equal. Unable to assess pupils
d/t glaucoma.
CAM score + for delirium (Feature 1, 2 and 4
present)
Resp Ax
RRR, 16. No wheezing. Fine bilateral
rales audible. No SOB. Congested
cough, w upper airway secretions.
Afebrile.
CV Ax
No murmurs, HR 76, S1, S2. No
peripheral edema noted. Recent BP
readings by staff stable.
Integument Ax
Very dry skin. Mucous membranes dry.
Bruising present to lower legs.
GU Ax
No specific signs of UTI. Small temp
change from baseline T 37.0 (baseline
36.2).
Chronically positive C&S
Abdominal Ax
BS present x 4 quadrants. No rebound
tenderness noted. Resident up in W/C,
therefore not assessed fully. Voiding well
into brief. No reports of dysuria, frq,
urgency, changes in continence. T 37.0
(baseline 36.2). Recent bowel
movements have been regular and
soft/formed in consistency.
Pain Ax
Vague self-report. Behavioural indicators of
pain in staff reports. Kyphotic in appearance.
Recent loss of mobility (past 6 months).
Family reports that she used to be on regular
Tylenol in the retirement home but this was
discontinued in hospital. Family reports that
Mrs. A would never be one to ask for help with
pain. Recent falls. No spinal x-rays taken. Is
not on Vit D or Calcium.
Impression?
Delirium co-existing w dementia and depression!
Risk Factors:
Age, CI, Hx delirium, Hx depression, sleep
disturbance, vision and hearing loss, recent
relocation, hx fractures, unrelieved pain,
hypotension, recent infection, polypharmacy,
benzodiazepine use, antidepressant use,
antipsychotic use.
Now What? What is
causing her delirium?
Differentials:
Dehydration
Pain
Hypothyroidism
Polypharmacy
Other Considerations
High risk of fractures, affecting QOL. Spinal x-ray not
feasible for her. Recent falls and posture combined
with behaviours make vertebral fractures highly likely.
Prob UTI at this point seems low given the non-specific
nature of her symptoms. Will always test positive – no
need to treat unless symptomatic.
Recent CXR negative. Rales could be some residual
post-infection atalectasis.
What’s our plan?
Increase L-Thyroxine and recheck TSH in 1
week
Discontinue PRN Tylenol
Tylenol 325mg 2 tablets (total 650mg) PO
QID x 2 weeks then reassess. She is opiate
naïve – if we want to try these go low and
slow
Encourage oral fluids.
Dietitian to assess re: fluid intake.
Vitamin D 1000iu PO daily
Taper Clonazepam slowly.
Depression vs. Dementia or
Depression with Dementia
For the most part, these two conditions coexist.
Depression looks different in older adults.
Feelings of guilt/worthlessness
Hopelessness, death wishes, suicidal
Frequent crying spells
Resident overstates impairments
Greater problems with attention, concentration, speed
of processing and retrieval
Constructional apraxia, agnosia and aphasia are rare
Usually performs well on memory tasks
Questions?