 |
|
Frail Older Adults and Palliative Care
|
|
| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
|
|
|
To the Editor: Many symptoms and consequences of anemia, especially late-life anemia, are similar to those characterizing frailty (fatigue, weakness, and impaired physical and cognitive performance).1 In Table 1 of their discussion of palliative care for frail older adults, Drs Boockvar and Meier2 summarized operational definitions, assessment, and treatment methods for common symptoms of frailty. Anemia was listed as a remediable cause of fatigue but not as an underlying cause of falls. Although the association between anemia and increased risk of falls among elderly individuals has been recognized,3-4 anemia associated with long-term conditions other than renal disease may not be treated aggressively or considered in risk assessments for falls.5 The accepted definition of anemia (hemoglobin <12 g/dL in women; <13 g/dL in men) may no longer be clinically valid for elderly individuals.6 Symptoms of nonanemic iron depletion (serum ferritin  50 ng/mL [112 pmol/L]) also may be misinterpreted as age-related . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Carol E. Bower, BSc
c.bower@cox.net
Manchester, Conn
RELATED LETTERS
Frail Older Adults and Palliative Care
Thomas E. Finucane
JAMA. 2007;297(11):1193-1194.
EXTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Frail Older Adults and Palliative Care
Daniel Cormican and Peggy A. Seidman
JAMA. 2007;297(11):1194.
EXTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Frail Older Adults and Palliative Care—Reply
Kenneth Boockvar and Diane Meier
JAMA. 2007;297(11):1194-1195.
EXTRACT
| FULL TEXT
RELATED ARTICLE
Palliative Care for Frail Older Adults: "There Are Things I Can't Do Anymore That I Wish I Could . . . "
Kenneth S. Boockvar and Diane E. Meier
JAMA. 2006;296(18):2245-2253.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
|
