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Hospitalisation of seniors may cause temporary memory loss and difficulty understanding discharge instructions, but many return to normal within a month, a new study says.
The findings suggest that seniors may need extra support from health workers and family immediately after they're released from the hospital, said the researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago.
"A helper on the day of discharge could make sure a senior understands discharge instructions and help her get home and follow instructions safely," said lead author Dr Lee Lindquist, an assistant professor of geriatrics at the Feinberg School of Medicine.
"If a patient is by herself the day of a hospital discharge, it's possible that she won't comprehend complicated medical instructions, increasing medication errors and chances of re-hospitalisation," she added.
Old people not ready to be alone
The study included more than 200 hospital patients, 70 and older, who lived on their own and had not been diagnosed with dementia or any other cognitive problems. Tests conducted when the patients were discharged from the hospital showed that nearly one-third had reduced levels of cognition.
One month later, 58% of those patients no longer had reduced cognition and showed significant recovery in a number of areas, including comprehension, reading, writing, calculation and orientation.
"When the senior is no longer sick enough to be in the hospital, it doesn't mean they're 100% ready to be on their own," said Lindquist, who is also a physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Screening all elderly patients for reduced cognition before they're discharged from the hospital could help identify those who require specialised hospital-to-home transitional care with more frequent follow-ups, she suggested.
The study, funded by the US National Institute on Aging, was published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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