Artificial Intelligence In Geriatric Health Care - Health Affairs

We’re sharing this article early to provide faster access to peer-reviewed, accepted research. It is citable and carries a permanent DOI. This version is subject to further edits and will be replaced automatically by the final Version of Record. All legal disclaimers apply. AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the association between insomnia severity and systemic inflammatory indices, specifically neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), in geriatric individuals aged 80 years and older, a subgroup for whom evidence on this relationship remains scarce. This cross-sectional study included 384 patients aged ≥ 80 years attending a geriatric outpatient clinic. Insomnia severity was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Inflammatory markers, namely the NLR, PLR, and SII were derived from routine hematological parameters and analyzed via correlation analyses and multivariable linear regression. Insomnia was identified in 38.5% of participants. ISI scores showed significant positive correlations with NLR, PLR, SII, chronic disease burden, and medication count (all p < 0.001).

It had been a rough few months. Cynthia Tompkins was hospitalized in May for osteomyelitis — a bone infection — then spent six weeks in a rehabilitation facility. “It was a struggle,” she said. “I didn’t bounce back too well.” Tompkins returned to her home in San Diego, but she was still taking antibiotics, along with a host of other drugs for diabetes, pain, and blood clots. The deaths of her husband the previous year and her closest friend more recently had sapped her spirits.

Long-term care (LTC) facilities are actually people’s homes. It’s where many Canadians live out their final days. But not all the residents in LTC receive the specialized care they need. Often seniors’ behaviour that could be the result of past traumas is written off as a symptom of dementia. Care aides need training to identify the difference and provide trauma-informed care. Accrediting agencies and Canada’s new national long-term care standards include providing trauma-informed care. But that standard is voluntary. It must be made mandatory.