Hospitalized elders may be more prone to cognitive decline
Posted Sep 22 2011 12:00am
Why are some elders subject to returning home from a hospitalization cognitively worse? Experts are studying this problem with varying results, but many agree that there are conditions at play which can result in an elderly person suffering cognitive decline after a hospitalization. Although there is no 100% conclusive evidence that a hospitalization can lead to dementia , the medical community calls the condition "hospital delirium," a condition that the American Geriatrics Society estimates affects about one-third of patients over 70, particularly those who are in intensive care or who undergo surgery.
Why are some elders subject to returning home from a hospitalization cognitively worse? Experts are studying this problem with varying results, but many agree that there are conditions at play which can result in an elderly person suffering cognitive decline after a hospitalization. Although there is no 100% conclusive evidence that a hospitalization can lead to dementia , the medical community calls the condition "hospital delirium," a condition that the American Geriatrics Society estimates affects about one-third of patients over 70, particularly those who are in intensive care or who undergo surgery.
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