ABC of Geriatric Medicine

Demographic trends confirm what clinicians already know - they are spending increasing amounts of time dealing with older people. This new ABC provides an introduction to the new and increasing challenges of treating older patients in a variety of settings.

ABC of Geriatric Medicine provides an overview of geriatric medicine in practice. Chapters are written by experts, and are based on the specialty geriatric medicine curriculum in the UK.

ABC of Geriatric Medicine is a highly illustrated, informative, and practical source of knowledge, with links to further information and resources. It is an essential guide where management of the ageing population is a major health issue - for hospital and family doctors, students, nurses and other members of the multi-disciplinary team.

Contributors vi

Preface vii

Acknowledgements viii

1 Introducing Geriatric Medicine 1
Nicola Cooper & Graham Mulley

2 Prescribing in Older People 5
Jon Cooper & Julia Howarth

3 Delirium 11
John Holmes

4 Falls 16
Nicola Cooper

5 Bone Health 23
Katrina Topp

6 Syncope 28
Raja Hussain

7 Transient Ischaemic Attack and Stroke 34
Jon Cooper

8 Dementia 39
John Wattis & Stephen Curran

9 Urinary Incontinence 43
Eileen Burns & Anne Siddle

10 Peri-operative Problems 48
Kirsty Forrest

11 Rehabilitation 53
Lauren Ralston & John Young

12 Palliative Care 59
Lucy Nicholson & Suzanne Kite

13 Discharge Planning 64
Mamoun Elmamoun & Graham Mulley

14 Intermediate Care 69
Nicola Turner & Catherine Tandy

15 Benefits and Social Services 73
John Pearn & Rosemary Young

Index 77

Nicola Cooper
Consultant in Acute Medicine and Geriatrics, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK

Kirsty Forrest
Consultant in Anaesthesia and Education, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK

Graham Mulley
Professor of Elderly Medicine and President of the British Geriatrics Society, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK

ABC of Geriatric Medicine

About the ABC of Geriatric Medicine

Edited by Nicola Cooper, Consultant in Acute Medicine and Geriatrics, Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, UK, Kirsty Forrest, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Education, Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, UK, and Graham Mulley, Professor of Elderly Medicine and President of the British Geriatrics Society, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK

Demographic trends confirm what clinicians already know – they are spending increasing amounts of time dealing with older people. This new ABC provides an introduction to the new and increasing challenges of treating older patients in a variety of settings.

ABC of Geriatric Medicine provides an overview of geriatric medicine in practice. Chapters are written by experts, and are based on the specialty geriatric medicine curriculum in the UK.

ABC of Geriatric Medicine is a highly illustrated, informative, and practical source of knowledge, with links to further information and resources. It is an essential guide where management of the ageing population is a major health issue – for hospital and family doctors, students, nurses and other members of the multidisciplinary team.

About the ABC series

The new ABC series has been thoroughly updated, offering a fresh look, layout and features throughout, helping you to access information and deliver the best patient care. The newly designed books remain an essential reference tool for GPs, GP registrars, junior doctors and those in primary care, designed to address the concerns of general practitioners and provide effective study aids for doctors in training.

Now offering over 40 titles, this extensive series provides you with a quick and dependable reference on a range of topics in all the major specialities. Each book in the new series now offers links to further information and articles, and a new dedicated website provides you with even more support.

The ABC series is the essential and dependable source of up-to-date information for all practitioners and students in general practice.