Tag Archives: frailty

Heart Rate in Frail Older Patients | Too slow, too fast, irregular, and just right

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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 […]

Is Mom in the Hospital? Remember the 8 Ds

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Dr. Warren Wong

The hospital is a hard place for older patients. In a previous post, I described three awful things that happen too often. I was frequently asked to help care for frail older patients in the hospital. Based on these experiences, I came up with 8D's.

When you have an older loved one in the hospital, think of these 8 Ds:

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A Special Relationship Between the Older Adult and the Caregiver

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In a previous post, my friend Shannon talked about gracefully and thankfully accepting a caregiver at a certain stage in life.  Today’s post is Part 2 of our discussion. Shannon talks about the relationship “rules” that both the caregiver and the client need to keep in mind to make the relationship a strong one.

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What is Causing this Person’s Weight Loss?

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In my last post I talked about a patient who had some bleeding in her brain. That was the obvious diagnosis. However, I'm frustrated because an important diagnosis was missed. It was immediately obvious that she was severely underweight. I looked through her chart carefully. Her weight had gone from 89 pounds to 74 pounds in a little bit over a year. No one had mentioned this.

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Why did my patient have a Subdural Hematoma?

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Last week I was busy taking care of some patients. I reviewed the chart on a patient who recently had some falls and bleeding in the brain. She had a “subdural hematoma”. What is a Subdural Hematoma? Subdural hematoma is a medical term for bleeding between the brain and the skull. The bleeding can be a small or large amount and is easily seen on CT scan of the brain. The bleeding is due to bursting of veins on the surface of the brain. This is usually related to an injury to the head although […]

I expect to be frail at some time in my life. What decisions will I make?

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Most of us will become frail before we pass away, especially if we live to an old age. Will we still be happy when we become frail and need help from others? How can we be both happy and not a burden to loved ones? My friend Shannon has poor vision but in other ways she sees things very well.

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