For more than 30 years, Dr. Sharon K. Inouye has dedicated herself to the identification and prevention of delirium in the hospital. She is the founder of the widely replicated Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP). In her last video, Dr. Inouye described prevention of delirium and long-term outcomes. She now discusses the difficulties elderly patients face in the hospital. She also talks about her ongoing efforts.
Tag Archives: confusion
A Patient with Delirium. Don’t Say: “You’re Confused!”
Dr. Inouye has been discussing delirium. By coincidence I recently cared for a patient with acute and distressing delirium. Sue is an 80-year-old woman who has mild Alzheimer’s Disease. Recently she fell and fractured a small bone in her hand. She was seen in the emergency room and a cast was put on. She was given a narcotic, hydrocodone, to relieve the pain. That night, at 1:30 in the morning, she walked over to her neighbor’s house in her nightgown. Her husband was sleeping next to her but didn’t wake up. The neighbors brought her […]
Heart Rate in Frail Older Patients | Too slow, too fast, irregular, and just right
My Mom is 86 years old and “frail”. She has been in and out of the hospital for heart problems. I’ve been checking her oxygen levels, her blood pressure, and her heart rate. Her heart rate is usually around 55. Sometimes it dips as low as 48 then goes back up. That seems slow to me. Her PCP says that her slow heart rate is due to her medicines. Is her heart rate too slow? Is it making her weaker? Is she getting enough oxygen to her brain? In the above scenario, the patient’s heart […]