by Giuseppe Cocco

Received: 05 September 2020;  Published: 10 September 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2003132

Covid-19 pandemic has been infecting a substantial portion of the world population, thereby revealing quality deficits in health care in the majority of the countries around the globe. Severe illness and mortality from Covid-19 infection are present predominantly in minorities; especially they are more frequent in geriatric patients. Unfortunately, our knowledge is limited about what accounts for the variability in immune response from one person to another. This question is far from being merely academic, and find [...]

by Aline Duarte Folle  , Kimberly C Paul  , Cynthia D Kusters  , Jeff M Bronstein  , Adrienne M Keener  and Beate Ritz

Received: 30 June 2020;  Published: 26 August 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2003131

Insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness are the most common sleep disturbances in Parkinson’s disease. This study aims at better understanding how severity of PD motor and non-motor features and dopaminergic treatments contribute to these sleep symptoms in the first decade of PD. Data from a community-based cohort of PD patients was used to model cross-sectional PD-related risk factors for insomnia and EDS sleep scores using linear regression models adjusted for age, gender, and PD duration. Longitudinal changes [...]

by Michael Falkenstein

Received: 11 August 2020;  Published: 19 August 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2003130

by Ashwini M. Namasivayam-MacDonald  , Luis F. Riquelme  and Sonja M. Molfenter

Received: 02 June 2020;  Published: 29 July 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2003129

The Cobb angle is traditionally used for quantifying the degree of spinal curvature through evaluation of the full spinal cord. When conducting measurements on videofluoroscopy swallowing studies (VFSS), the Cobb angle can measure degree of cervical vertebrae curvature, which may have implications for swallowing. Given that this measure may have utility in dysphagia research, the reliability of this measure taken from C2-C4 and establishing the presence of changes with age were the focus of the current, proof-of-pr [...]

by Temitope Akinjogbin  , Jacob Parnell  and Maria C. Duggan

Received: 05 May 2020;  Published: 13 July 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2003128

Delirium is an acute change in mental status with key features of inattention and disorganized thinking. It is particularly common in older adults, with multiple and varied causes. Delirium increases the risk of morbidity, mortality, institutionalization, and healthcare costs; however, it is often missed because it is difficult to recognize without the use of a validated screening tool. The Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) initiative highlights the need for implementation of a delirium monitoring program in hospi [...]

by Demelza Emmerton  , Samra Khan  , Joanne Conway  , Daniel Mosby  and Ahmed H. Abdelhafiz

Received: 31 May 2020;  Published: 10 July 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2003127

With life-expectancy rising globally, the prevalence of ageing, comorbidity and frailty is likely to increase especially in the low and middle income countries. The emergence of the new COVID-19 pandemic has been concentrated in this group of patients and has led to worse outcomes compared to younger and less comorbid populations. This group of patients is at an increased risk of multi-organ consequences of systemic disease. Therefore, systemic assessment of these patients from the outset and optimisation of their [...]

by Noa Sylvetsky  , Chen Futeran Shahar  , Meir Frankel  and Gabriel Munter

Received: 01 April 2020;  Published: 02 July 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2003126

Hospitalists are at risk for vitamin D deficiency during their active years due to indoor working conditions and insufficient sunlight exposure. The impairment of bone mineral density (BMD) in this group has not been studied. A total of 50 male hospitalists aged ≥ 65 years were enrolled. Their BMD was measured at the femoral neck (FN), lumbar spine (LS), and distal radius (DR), and their medical history and risk factors were assessed through a detailed questionnaire. The FRAX® (Fracture risk assessment tool) [...]

by Hanneke van der Wal- Huisman  , Henk Groen  , Erik Heineman  and Barbara L. van Leeuwen

Received: 08 April 2020;  Published: 01 July 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2003125

Postoperative pain has a negative influence on physical and mental recovery and may result in a variety of postoperative complications. Listening to recorded music has been revealed to reduce pain, but in addition to that, live bedside music further offers the possibility to interact with the patient, respond to their emotions, and help them in adapting their conditions. It, therefore, seems appropriate for older surgical patients. This study examines the effect of live bedside music on postoperative elderly patien [...]

by Julia M. Robertson  and Barbara E. Kingsley

Received: 16 February 2020;  Published: 23 June 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2002124

The ability to situate individuals within social categories provides an important social function, allowing people to navigate problems of survival and reproduction within highly complex social structures. This categorization of people with apparently shared characteristics is facilitated by various cues, one of the most important being facial information. There has been a wealth of literature that reports on perceptions of characteristics informed by faciometrics (or the measurement of facial features and associat [...]

by Zheer Al-Mashhadi  , Rikke Viggers  , Rasmus Fuglsang-Nielsen  , Bente Langdahl  , Peter Vestergaard  , Søren Gregersen  and Jakob Starup-Linde

Received: 02 April 2020;  Published: 18 June 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2002123

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and osteoporosis are two major public health concerns worldwide, contributing to morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Aging is one of the most significant risk factors for low bone mass, bone fragility, and fractures. Among the several comorbidities that affect the elderly with diabetes, increased fracture risk is a relatively recently discovered complication. Generally, individuals with T2DM exhibit higher bone mineral density, which complicates the assessment of fracture risk. D [...]