For those of us with elderly relatives in the hospital - I found this in The New Old Age Blog in the NYTs :
http://tinyurl.com/8xlzyc4
http://preview.tinyurl.com/8xlzyc4
Relatives and caregivers can play a part in reducing the risk. Here are five tips to ward off disorientation if an elderly friend or relative lands in the hospital:
1. Get the patient moving (with help from the nurses) at least three times a day. Sit up, and then walk to the bathroom or down the hall.
2. Bring what the patient needs to see, hear, eat and stay oriented: glasses, hearing aids, dentures and favorite foods from home if the doctor approves.
3. Have a list of all the patient's medical conditions, allergies and medications.
4. To remind patients of who they are in normal times, bring along familiar objects from home: family photos, a favorite sweater, relaxation tapes or a radio.
5. Stay close by, and take notes, to be able to explain to the patient in simple terms what's going on. Hospitals are confusing places. (The HELP Web site has more tips.)
The first rule about hospital delirium is Prevention.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/if-hospitals-want-a-competitive-advantage---use-brain-monitors-in-surgeries-requiring-sedation-says-renowned-anesthesiologist-114571244.html
http://drfriedberg.com/press-releases/anesthesia-you-don%E2%80%99t-have-just-lay-there-and-take-it.html
DH and I have been investigating the problem recently. We have promised each other that we will not undergo general anesthesia without the use of a brain monitor.
Watch the video here http://www.goldilocksanesthesiafoundation.org/