COMPREHENSIVE GERIATRIC ASSESSMENT

The nursing process is divided into: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation.

Geriatric assessment is the essential tool of Geriatrics.

Is the technique that is responsible for detecting and quantifying the problems affecting four areas: clinical, functional, mental and social ability, and emotional capacity.

Within these areas I will talk about the functional, which is the most important I think. since at this value the independence to perform activities of daily living.



FUNCTIONAL AREA

Classification:

Basic activities of daily living	Instrumental activities of daily living
Feeding Dress Cleanliness Bath Arrangement Wandering (bed, couch, shower, bath ...) Transfer Continence Communication	Writing Reading Kitchen Cleaning Shopping Wash Climbing stairs Use phone Medication Management Money Management Transport

To assess this we used a series of scales in Spain. Depending on whether they are basic or instrumental activities scales are different.


Basic activities of daily living scales:  

1. Katz Index.

2. Barthel Index.

3. Physical Disability Scale of Red Cross.

4. Plutchik Scale.

Instrumental activities of daily living: 

1. Lawton y Brody Scale.

According to the Acosta study: Activities of daily living in older adults: The experience of two focus groups.



The study aims to obtain a sample of examples of physical and mental recreation, social, independence and health protection, as initially proposed an inventory of life activities
seniors daily.
Taking it just with two focus groups, one eight and fifteen other formed by elderly.



The results show a wide variety of activities  of daily activities as a consequence of heterogeneity in aging process, and set bases for further studies on adaptation mechanisms of aged people facing aging changes, to attend needs that this population sector demands.

The differences in the previous study are given mainly by the degree of cognitive impairment with patients. Cognitive impairment is considered one of the factors that affects the dependency in old age.

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Bibliography:

1. Sanjoaquín AC, Fernández E, Mesa MP, García-Arilla E. Valoración geriátrica integral. En: Tratado de geriatría para residentes. Madrid: Sociedad Española de Geriatría y Gerontología (SEGG); p.59-68. Disponible en: http://www.imsersomayores.csic.es/documentos/documentos/segg-tratado-01.pdf

2. MªTeresa Alarcón Alarcón. Valoracíon geriátrica: Utilidad Predictiva en el estudio y seguimiento del paciente geriátrico hospitalizado. Tesis Doctoral. Dirigida por: Prof. JM RIBERA CASADO, Dr. JI GONZÁLEZ. Madrid. 1996. Disponible en: http://biblioteca.ucm.es/tesis/19911996/D/0/AD0042701.pdf 

3. Acosta Quiroz CO, González-Celis Rangel ALM. Activities of daily living in older adults: 

The experience of two focus groups.Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. VOL. 15, NUM. 2: 393-401 JULIO-DICIEMBRE, 2010. Disponible en: http://www.cneip.org/documentos/revista/CNEIP_15_2/Christian-Oswaldo-Acosta-Quiroz.pdf