Care of the Older Person

Dr Ronald M. Caplan is Clinical Associate Professor Emeritus at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is an Obstetrician Gynecologist and medical author. He is a founding Editor of The Care of the Older Person, along with distinguished McGill Faculty members Olivier Beauchet,MD; Howard Bergman, MD; Abraham Fuks, MD; Serge Gauthier, MD, Phil Gold, MD and Jose Morais, MD.

A readable, engaging and thought-provoking book that offers a broad overview of ageing and aged care,while at the same time providing detailed and relevant clinical information.Glenn Duns, MDCM, FRACGP,MPH, MelbourneThe new Fifth edition of The Care of the Older Person, written by eminent experts, details stumbling blocks and disease processes encountered by older people, including frailty and loss of mental acuity. Strategies to mitigate, and even avoid, such conditions, including possible changes in lifestyle, which I have spent a lifetime advocating, are detailed, as well as how to care for persons who are living with such conditions.Joe De Sena, Founder and CEO of SpartanThe fifth edition of The Care of the Older Person, edited by Ronald Caplan, MD, and authored by McGill faculty, is an excellent resource for the improvement of health and nutrition and the diagnosis and treatment of disease in the geriatric patient. Brief clinical vignettes solidify the principles covered in each chapter and highlight differences in this population. As we enter the “older person” age group, I greatly appreciate the authors’ and editor’s careful attention to all the elements of patient care, from assessment with the frailty index to application of care pathways ensuring optimal outcomes despite multiple comorbidities, impaired physiologic reserve and functional status. Ethical issues and patient values are also well incorporated into decision-making. I recommend this book to all those interested in the care of this vulnerable population-physicians, advanced care providers, nurses and students.Mary C. McCarthy, MD, FACS, MAMSEProfessor EmeritusWright State University School of MedicineThe Care of the Older Person is a remarkable book on many levels. In addition to being clearly written, it explores areas that do not even appear on the average practitioner’s radar. There is an entire chapter on the many aspects of building a residence for older people; there is another chapter on the relative merits of cancer screening for this and that condition; there is a chapter on the psychology of getting older, becoming disabled, and obviously, coming closer to dying. These are topics that many practitioners would rather leave to others. Yet, as the saying goes, no snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible. All practitioners (except perhaps pediatricians) need a passing knowledge of the information in this book. I can well see this work becoming part of medical school curricula.Ronald Grelsamer, Clinical Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY.The book is much more than a typical medical textbook. It delves deeper and wider into the important question of what can be done to improve all aspects of the lives of older persons in our world today. The latest edition of this comprehensive textbook offers a wealth of current information. It should be available to all who care for older persons.David E. Wesson, MD, Emeritus Professor of Surgery Baylor College of Medicine

• DISCLAIMEREDITORS/CONTRIBUTORSCONTRIBUTORSHELPING 1. Introduction2. Caring for the older person3. Frailty4. Physical activity as a countermeasure to frailty5. Doctor, my spouse is getting forgetful6. Update on Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and management7. Navigating the journey of dementia as a caregiver8. How to diagnose and manage delirium9. Why does my patient have gait & balance disorders?10. Could my patient be malnourished?11. Dental care in older persons12. Eating, drinking and swallowing problems of vulnerable older adultsVULNERABILITY13. Architecture and the aging14. Are the immunizations of my patient up to date?15. Management of older patients in the emergency department: this man is old, but is it an emergency?16. Critical care of the older person17. COVID-19 in long-term careCARING18. Arthritis in the older person19. Stroke prevention in the elderly20. Advances in cardiac care for older persons21. Could my patient be at risk of orthostatic hypotension?22. The care of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in older adults23. How do I manage my patient with peripheral arterial disease?24. How to manage type 2 diabetes in frail elderly patients25. Hepatobiliary considerations, including cancer26. Abdominal organ transplantation in the older personCANCER27. Cancer in older adults28. Cancer screening in the older adult29. Diagnosis and management of bowel cancer30. Precision medicine and care of the older patient31. Psycho oncology: living with the fear of deathCONSIDERATIONS32. Incontinence in older adults33. Sleep disorders in older persons34. Polypharmacy and deprescribing in the elderly35. After menopause36. The senior adult eye37. Hearing loss and aging38. Skin care of the older person: the skin and its associated changes39. Caring for the older person undergoing plastic surgeryUNDERSTANDING, PROTECTING40. Elder abuse41. Late-life anxiety42. An overview of late-life depression43. Assessment of decision-making capacity44. How can older people be protected?45. Financial guidance for seniors46. The role of religious belief in the end-of-life care of older personsMEDICAL TERMS Medical terms and their meaning: GlossaryBibliography & Supplemental Bibliography