Reviewing the definition of "elderly"

Conventionally, "elderly" has been defined as a chronological age of 65 years old or older, while those from 65 through 74 years old are referred to as "early elderly" and those over 75 years old as "late elderly." However, the evidence on which this definition is based is unknown. We have attempted to review the definition of elderly by analyzing data from long-term longitudinal epidemiological studies, and clinical and pathological studies that have been accumulated at the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology. Our recommendation might be a starting point in developing a strategy for a successful society by reviewing the definition of elderly based on comprehensive evidence in all aspects of social, cultural and medical sciences.     

Neuropsychological test for the detection of dementia in elderly individuals: the Nishimura Dementia Test

Background: Progression of the core and accessory symptoms of dementia can be slowed if drug therapies and psychosocial interventions are administered at an early stage. The aim of this study was to develop and standardize a neuropsychological test for the elderly that can detect dementia at an early stage with high sensitivity and can evaluate a wide range of severities of dementia based on assessments of various cognitive functions. Methods: A preliminary test consisting of 23 items and the Nishimura Mental State Scale for the Elderly (NM Scale), which evaluates the mental functions of elderly individuals by observing their actual behaviors in daily life, were administered to 448 elderly subjects. After applying Hayashi’s quantification theory type I to the results, we revised the preliminary test to construct a neuropsychological test for the elderly, which we named the Nishimura Dementia Test (ND Test), and standardized it. Then, we examined its validity and test–retest reliability. Results: Among the 448 subjects, there was a strong correlation between the ND Test scores and NM Scale scores. The ND Test showed a good general agreement rate for the discrimination of the severity of dementia, and good sensitivity and specificity of discrimination of dementia when compared with the actual NM Scale. Using different groups of elderly subjects, the ND Test showed validity and test–retest reliability, and the ND Test scores showed strong correlations with the Revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale scores and the Mini‐Mental State Examination scores. Conclusions: The ND Test is based on assessment of a variety of cognitive functions and can evaluate a wide range of severities of dementia with good validity and reliability.     

老年人脑膜瘤外科治疗及预后判断

目的:探讨老年人脑膜瘤的临床特点,手术治疗以及影响预后的因素。方法:本组老年脑膜瘤患者共30例,均行肿瘤切除手术。结果:30例患者中,肿瘤全切25例,部分切除5例,手术后开发症5例,手术前Karnofsky评分小于70、肿瘤直径大于4.5cm、瘤周存在严重水肿与手术后并发症显著相关。结论:老年脑膜瘤患者手术治疗的预后受多种因素影响。     

后路环周融合治疗老年人重度腰椎管狭窄症

[目的]探讨后路环周腰椎融合在老年人重度腰椎管狭窄症的应用和效果。[方法]2001年11月~2004年5月,采用后路腰椎间融合(PLIF)联合后外侧融合(PLF)的环周融合术治疗老年人腰椎管狭窄症83例。随访18~42个月,观察术后并发症,采用JOA评分评估治疗效果,X线片和CT判定植骨融合情况。[结果]术后所有患者12~14 d即可下地行走,3例出现症状性下肢深静脉血栓,10例腰腿痛一过性加重。末次随访腰腿痛明显缓解,JOA评分由术前平均(13.6±3.8)分改善至(22.3±4.6)分。椎间植骨均获骨性融合。[结论]后路环周融合术是治疗老年人重度腰椎管狭窄的安全、有效、合理的选择之一。     

Health and social service use among old people in the last 2 years of life

This study focuses on differences in health and social service use in the last 2 years of life among Finnish people aged 70–79, 80–89, and 90 or older and on the variation in service use in the various municipalities. The data set, derived from multiple national registers, consists of 75,578 people who died in 1998–2001. The services included hospitals and long-term-care facilities, use of regular home care, and prescribed medicines. General hospital and public long-term care were the services most commonly used: general hospitals for younger age groups and public long-term care for older groups. The number of inpatient days in hospital was lower with increasing age, but older age groups used long-term care more frequently. Men had more hospital inpatient days than women, but women used more long-term care. The number of hospital inpatient days increased rapidly in the last months of life, almost doubling in the final month. Days in public long-term care increased regularly in the last 2 years of life. Variation in both hospital and long-term care by municipality was remarkable. The results indicate that, among people aged 70 years and older, age is a major determinant of care in the last 2 years of life. The variation in the use of care by municipality and the differences between men and women deserve more detailed analysis in future.     

老年期痴呆抑郁和焦虑障碍共病研究

目的：了解老年期痴呆患者抑郁和焦虑障碍共病率及其相关因素。方法：将100例老年期痴呆患者分为两组，阿尔茨海默病（AD）组和血管性痴呆（VD）组。用简明精神病评定量表（BPRS）、Hamilton抑郁量表（HAMD）、Hamilton焦虑量表（HAMA）进行评定。结果：AD组有焦虑20例，伴抑郁17例；VD组有焦虑17例，伴抑郁15例。共病28例，AD组与VD组各14例。AD组与VD组在HAMD因子分有明显差异（P〈0．05）。结论：老年期痴呆患者抑郁和焦虑共病率较高，应引起高度重视。     

实施人本管理打造医院核心竞争力

医疗机构在激烈的竞争中，要保证持续发展，关键在于培训核心竞争力。人才是医院最核心的竞争力，因此必须实施人本管理。要提升人力资源的价值，以正确的目标引导人，以科学的方式管理人，以完善的机制激励人，以战略的眼光培养人，以终生的培训塑造人，以优秀的文化武装人，建立一个自主自足，自我控制，自我发展，自我完善的管理机制，激发全院员工的创造力，增强医院的凝聚力，人尽其才，才尽其用，提高工作效率，以提升医院效益。     

Calcium intake in the elderly: validation of a dietary questionnaire

Epidemiological studies of calcium and osteoporosis have been hampered by the lack of a suitable tool for assessing calcium intake. This report describes a new frequency and amount questionnaire for measuring present and past calcium intake in the elderly. The validity of the questionnaire was tested against two commonly used standards of dietary assessment, five-day duplicate diets and seven-day weighed dietary inventories. The resulting correlation coefficients were, respectively, r = 0.76 and r = 0.69, while that for repeatability was r = 0.84. Furthermore, the questionnaire categorized subjects into thirds of the distribution of intake with almost no gross misclassification. It is suggested that the present findings may be extended to the majority of normal, healthy elderly subjects, implying wide application for the questionnaire in the assessment of calcium intake in the elderly.     

Aggressive behaviour in elderly psychiatric inpatients.

We describe the types of aggressive behaviour and determine their prevalence in a sample of hospitalized elderly psychiatric patients. Data were obtained by nurse ratings of aggressive behaviour using the recently developed Rating Scale for Aggressive Behaviour in the Elderly; 90 patients were rated over a 3-d period. Nearly half the sample were at least mildly aggressive; the frequencies of some specific types of aggressive behaviour were high. In contrast, the frequency of injuries and the use of restraints and medication for aggressive behaviour were low. Some correlates of the aggressive behaviour were also analysed.