Dementia may add layers of complexity to current ED communication strategies, but this complexity must be addressed to ensure the patient, as well as care partners, feel that they are part of the care process.
Emergency care for older adults is suboptimal, and care is especially poor for older adults with dementia, even though these adults seek ED-based care more regularly than matched controls. The GEAR Detection Work Group examines the potential role of the ED in dementia detection.
Falls among older adults are common and costly, and, much of the time, preventable. In this study the GEAR Network set out to find research areas to improve fall identification and prevention practices that can be used in the emergency department.
The GEAR Network identified 49 stakeholders from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, including emergency physicians, geriatricians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, and patient advocates, and engaged them in a consensus review of methods for identification, intervention, and prevention of delirium episodes in older adults.
This GEAR Network review of current literature on the identification of elder abuse among patients receiving care in emergency departments and the interventions to address elder abuse was used to prioritize research questions.
People with dementia are twice as likely to use the ED and 1.5 times more likely to have an avoidable visit. When in the ED, they often struggle and are at greater risk of poor outcomes.
GEAR Executive Committee and GEAR Advisory Board will review and select 3 proposals, each receiving up to $98,500 of total funding for this GEAR 1.0 Pilot Grant.
A large amount of evidence indicates that an ED visit is a period of vulnerability for older adults, especially as they transition back to the community, from the ED to home or a nursing home.
Falls range from minor to fatal; even minor falls can cause psychological distress and fear, leading older adults to feel dependent and chained to their bedrooms. In addition, stigma is a major problem so only a small percentage of older adults report their falls. Falling one time doubles an individual’s risk for falling again.
There are opportunities to administer screening for elder mistreatment in the ER, with both screening tools in development and research funding from the National Institutes on Aging (NIA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) overall, the John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF), and others.
