Udo Courteney’s research while affiliated with Luzerner Kantonsspital and other places

Background and Objectives: Depression is a common mental problem in the older population and has a significant impact on recovery and general well-being. A comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of depressive symptoms and their effects on functional outcomes is essential for improving care strategies. The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in older patients undergoing geriatric rehabilitation and to assess their specific impact on their functional abilities. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the Lucerne Cantonal Hospital in Wolhusen, Switzerland, spanning from 2015 to 2020 and including 1159 individuals aged 65 years and older. The presence of depressive symptoms was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) Short Form, while functional abilities were evaluated using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Tinetti test. Data analysis was performed using TIBCO Statistica 13.3, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Of the participants, 22.9% (N = 266) exhibited depressive symptoms, with no notable differences between genders. Although all patients showed functional improvements, the duration of rehabilitation was prolonged by two days (p = 0.012, d = 0.34) in those with depressive symptoms. Alarmingly, 76% of participants were classified as at risk of falling based on the Tinetti score. However, no significant correlation was found between the GDS and Tinetti scores at admission (p = 0.835, r = 0.211) or discharge (p = 0.336, r = 0.184). The results from the non-parametric Wilcoxon matched-pairs test provide compelling evidence of significant changes in FIM scores when comparing admission scores to those at discharge across all FIM categories. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are particularly common in geriatric rehabilitation patients, leading to prolonged recovery time and increased healthcare costs. While depressive symptoms showed no correlation with mobility impairments, improvements in functional status were directly associated with reduced GDS scores. Considering mental health during admission and planning is critical in optimizing rehabilitation outcomes.

Background: Depression is a common disorder in older people. It affects their physical recovery and general well-being, leading to longer hospital stays and higher healthcare costs. Under-standing the prevalence of depression and its impact on functional outcomes in the population is crucial for improving strategies and patient care. This study aims to determine the prevalence of depression in elderly patients in geriatric rehabilitation and assess its impact on their functional abilities during the rehabilitation process; Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Lucerne Cantonal Hospital Wolhusen, Switzerland, between 2015 and 2020, involving 1,159 patients aged 65 years and older. Depression was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) Short Form, while functional abilities were measured using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Tinetti test. The data was analyzed using TIBCO Statistica 13.3, with sta-tistical significance set at p < 0.05; Results: The study found that 25.4% of participants had depressive symptoms, with higher rates in women (27.8%) than in men (21.2%). Based on FIM and Tinetti scores, these patients had lower functional abilities at admission and discharge. However, all patients, regardless of depression status, showed significant improvements in functional scores during rehabilitation; Conclusions: Depression is proving to be a problem in older people par-ticipating in geriatric rehabilitation that significantly impairs their functional progress. These findings underline the importance of recognizing and treating depressive symptoms to increase the effectiveness of rehabilitation and improve the well-being of older patients. Integrating mental health support into geriatric rehabilitation programs is critical to optimizing patient outcomes.

Introduction Nutritional deficiency among the older adult is a widespread concern, significantly affecting their health. The prevalence of malnutrition increases with age, concurrent health conditions, and the level of care provided. Hospital stays can affect as 90% of the older adult. Malnutrition can hinder efforts to improve health and regain function in individuals undergoing rehabilitation. This study aims to assess the frequency of malnutrition among geriatric rehabilitation patients. Materials and methods A retrospective quantitative analysis was conducted on 357 patients admitted to the geriatric unit at Lucerne Cantonal Hospital Wolhusen in Switzerland. The patients’ nutritional status was evaluated using the standardized Mini Nutritional Assessment Long Form questionnaire. Results The initial analysis indicated a considerable prevalence of malnutrition among the geriatric population: 31.1% were identified as malnourished (MNA < 17), while an additional 35.8% were at risk of malnutrition (MNA 17–23.5), totaling 66.9% of patients. The Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test revealed a statistically significant difference in MNA scores among different age groups (p = 0.035). Statistical analysis also suggested a slightly higher prevalence of malnutrition among female patients. The duration of rehabilitation varied from 20.07 ± 6.93 to 22.20 ± 7.50 days, with longer durations associated with lower MNA scores. A correlation analysis between MNA values and body mass index (BMI) showed a positive correlation coefficient (r = 0.56), indicating that lower MNA scores were associated with lower BMI and vice versa. Conclusion Malnutrition is prevalent among individuals over 65 years old, highlighting the importance of regular and timely nutritional assessments for geriatric patients to mitigate the complications and enhance prognoses in both acute care and rehabilitation settings. Such assessments can also improve the efficacy of rehabilitation programs and potentially reduce the duration of rehabilitation, thus carrying significant economic implications.

Acute dyspnea, sometimes dramatic, is most often caused by cardiovascular or respiratory disease. However, although rare, thyroid dysfunction may present a similar clinical picture with equally serious and life-threatening consequences. Therefore, every occurrence of acute dyspnea represents a special medical challenge in diagnosis and treatment. We present a case of 81-year-old male admitted to the rehabilitation department five days after a knee joint total endoprosthesis and developed acute dyspnea two days later. An emergency diagnostic was performed and confirmed an airway stenosis through a previously undiagnosed enlarged thyroid gland. Although in most cases an acute life-threatening postoperative dyspnea indicates a cardiac or pulmonary problem, other diseases must be taken into consideration.

Background: Depression is the most common mental disorder in old age with a major impact on quality of life, morbidity and mortality. In daily work, various tests are used in terms of screening to detect suspected depressive disorder. One of the most commonly used tests is the so-called Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15). The aim of our study was to determine the incidence of depressive symptoms in patients hospitalized in the geriatric ward. Subjects and methods: A retrospective analysis included a total of 473 subjects (170 men and 303 women), with an average age of 83.8 years (minimum 65 years, maximum 101 years). GDS-15 was tested in all subjects (a positive test implies a GDS-15 score of ≥6). The results obtained were then statistically processed. Results: Of the total of 473 subjects, 105 (22.2%) were positively tested for depressive symptoms (34 men and 71 women). Most of these live in the usual domestic setting (79.4% men and 74.6% women). In women, the symptoms are mostly present (49 women -69.0%) in women living alone (widowed, divorced or unmarried. The male respondents were mostly men living in a partner community (22 men - 64.7%). Conclusion: The results obtained confirm the high incidence of depressive symptoms in the patients hospitalized in the geriatric ward. Depression is not a normal part of ageing and must be considered as a serious medical problem. Therefore, routine screening is necessary to identify the depressive symptoms, to detect and diagnose depression to begin treatment for such patients on time in order to improve the quality of life of the elderly.