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Taking cranberry capsules did not reduce urinary tract infections (UTIs) in older women living in nursing homes, a US randomised trial has shown.
UTIs are very common among nursing home residents: bacteriuria is detected in 25-50% of women living in nursing homes, and pyuria is present in 90% of these. Cranberry products have been of interest in preventing UTIs in this group of people, to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics.
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Three in five of us will be carers at some point in our lives and for many of us these responsibilities will begin or continue into our older age. Dawn Moody, Associate National Clinical Director for Older People, marks Older Peoples Day (1 October) with a blog on the importance of caring for our carers.
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Older patients with diabetes whose treatment had resulted in very low blood pressure or haemoglobin A1c levels rarely had their medicines reduced or withdrawn, a US study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has found.
The authors said that this represents a lost opportunity to reduce overtreatment among older people that can put them at risk of serious adverse events.
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As one of the New Models of Care Vanguards – Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group – is tackling social isolation. In the latest of a series of blogs on the vanguards, the Chief Executive of Age UK Wakefield District, explains their role and their commitment to making a difference for older people through their ‘Pull up a Chair’ campaign.
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As leaders from the nine Integrated Personal Commissioning demonstrator sites met on the 9th of June to share early learning, Dr Linda Collie, Clinical Executive at NHS Portsmouth CCG, explains how working together with Portsmouth City Council and Age UK Portsmouth is enabling older people with complex health needs to become the real experts in their own care.
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Two in five patients aged over 70 who are hospitalised with acute conditions are discharged with reduced functioning compared with when they were admitted, a study has found.
Staying in bed, being attached to urinary catheters unnecessarily, taking sleeping pills, and inadequate nutrition are some of the reasons for a decline in function, the researchers wrote in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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An independent commission to drive improvements in urgent and emergency care for older people in and outside of hospitals was launched by the NHS Confederation yesterday.
The Commission on Improving Urgent Care for Older People aims to find workable and patient-centred solutions to address the challenges of caring for the frail elderly across the country.
