Issue

For older
patients with complex health problems, comprehensive geriatric
assessment, care coordination, and adherence to the principles of
geriatric pharmacology are among the key elements of high-quality
healthcare embodied within the principles of geriatric medicine.
Geriatric assessment is the logical starting point for such care since
it guides and informs all that follows.

Unfortunately, the lack of geriatricians and other geriatrics
healthcare providers is a

Case Presentation
Ms. K, a 57-year-old Hispanic woman, presented to the Emergency
Department with a chief complaint of weight loss. She had lost 40
pounds over the last three to four months. She reported decreased
appetite for several months, along with persistent headache,
generalized fatigue, yellowing skin, lighter stools, and darker urine
for the last two weeks. Ms. K had a mild degree of nausea over the last
two weeks but had never actually vomited. Her headac

Release Date: January 15, 2008
Expiration Date: January 15, 2009

TARGET AUDIENCE
Internists, family practitioners, geriatricians, cardiologists, and others who care for older patients.

MEDIUM USED & METHOD OF PARTICIPATION
Read the article, complete the evaluation and post-test, and return both to: NACCME via fax at (610) 560-0502. You will receive your certificate in 6-8 weeks. If you would like to print your certi

Take the Test On-Line Priority Code (RHE472)

POST-TEST

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:
1. Identify the unique features of the clinical presentation of elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis.
2. List the factors that predict bad prognosis in rheumatoid arthritis.
3. Discuss the importance of ea

MEETING REPORT
Stockholm, Sweden
September 15-19, 2007

In preparing for the annual rite of teaching clinical skills to medical students, I was once again reminded of the importance of obtaining an “accurate history,” performing a proper and thorough physical examination, and obtaining necessary and pertinent laboratory testing. How easy it is to go down the wrong diagnostic path if one has erroneous information and makes the wrong assumptions. One excellent example is the frequent complaint of “weakness” when in fact the person is really complaining of feeling “fatigued.” There are over 10 million visits pe

This is the second part of a two-part series on central serotonin syndrome in the elderly that reviews the incidence, how central serotonin syndrome presents in the elderly, which psychiatric and nonpsychiatric medications interact to exacerbate or cause the syndrome, the pathophysiology of the disorder, and its treatment. Part I discussed the history and prevalence of the disorder, causative agents, presentations and diagnostic criteria, and ways to distinguish the condition from

Case Presentation
Mr. V is an 84-year-old male who came to the Geriatric Psychiatry outpatient clinic accompanied by his female partner of 18 years, Ms. Y. Both Mr. V and Ms. Y reported that over the past three years he has suffered from progressively worsening anger issues and mild memory problems, which had intensified more over the past year. Mr. V was raised in a traditional Orthodox Jewish community. According to the patient, he agreed to see a psychiatrist because Ms. Y ha

Ms. J is a 62-year-old woman with a long and difficult medical history. Suffering from diabetes mellitus for most of her life, she underwent renal transplantation 16 years ago, at the same time she had a pancreatic transplant. She took insulin daily as well as a number of immunomodifying medications, including steroids. In the past few years, she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) for which she also took a myriad of medications, including an anticoagulant. One night, Ms. J awoke complaining of