Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Health condition
Alzheimer's disease
Hypertension Osteoporosis,
Depression
Body functions and structures
Activity
Participation
Impairment in spatial orientation,
memory, attention, language,
executive functions; cortical atrophy;
musculoskeletal modifications
Di�culties in taking a bath; di�culties
with planning instrumental activities
of daily living without assistance
Missing social events
Environmental factors
Personal factors
Lives with her husband in a small town;
the daughter provides support to help
her maintain residual autonomy.
Poly-pharmacy
A familiar presence, stimulations and
activities seem to have a remissive effect
on depressive and apathetic symptoms,
refuses a non-familiar carer
FIgUre 13.2
Patient's profile based on the Geriatric Assessment in a Centre for Technical Aids.
development of gastric symptoms and bradycardia. The presence of osteoporosis requires
the prevention of falls and fractures with environmental devices. Because the patient
developed delusions in response to an external caregiver, it is also important to instruct
the family on the caregiver burden and to inform them about possible support groups,
associations, and social services.
It should also be considered that although her difficulties with the IADLs are due to
deficits in executive functions and prospective memory, if a suggestion is given with
respect to plans of actions and their timing, the performance of Mrs. A.B. is good.
Considering all of these factors, assistive technological devices that could be assessed
for Mrs. A.B. include
• Cognitive impairment devices such as reminder systems for medication adherence
or a handheld cognitive prosthetic for guidance during the execution of daily tasks.
• A GPS locator system could be useful in compensating for spatio-temporal disori-
entation and for facilitating mobility of the patient, allowing the caregiver to have
real-time information on the movements of the elderly lady.
13.9 Conclusions
This chapter illustrates the role of the geriatrician in relation to the main issues that charac-
terize the aging of populations: disease, disability, and frailty. Although the idea of frailty
