Introduction
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, “Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century,”1 suggested that the biggest challenge to moving toward a safer healthcare system is changing the patient safety culture from one in which individuals are blamed for errors to one in which errors are treated as opportunities to improve the system and prevent harm. Patient safety culture (PSC) has been defined as how the perceptions, behaviors, and competencies of individuals and groups determine an organization’s commitment, style, and proficiency in

In his article “Medical Direction and The Future of Assisted Living,”¹ the author is to be commended for taking a stand on a critical and controversial topic, medical direction, and specifically medical involvement and direction in assisted living facilities (ALFs). Certainly, we wholeheartedly agree with his comments and concerns about our dwindling number of geriatricians, nurses, and nurse practitioners dedicated to the care of older adults. One might even add, particularly with regard to geriatricians, that there are even fewer that are willing and interested in working in l

The American Geriatrics Society’s 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting, slated for April 30th through May 4th in Washington, DC, will cover the waterfront of topics and issues central to elder healthcare, with many of them of particular relevance to long-term care.

AGS’ Long-term Care Special Interest Group will meet May 1. That same day, the 2008 Henderson State-of-the-Art Lecture will look at frailty, a leading risk factor for institutionalization.

The 2008 winner of AGS’ Edward Henderson Award, Linda P. Fried, MD, director of the Center on Aging and Health, division of geriatric med

To the Editor:
Your “Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)” instrument provides a timely, quick triage reference for healthcare personnel dealing with long-term care patients.^1,2 Confusion among these patients really vexes emergency evacuation drills now practiced by some healthcare facilities. Sudden displacement from home and cherished possessions would be traumatizing enough for fire/disaster victims. More and more these days, even the American Red Cross calls out their disaster mental health specialists to assess the psychological condition of uprooted victims.

Now c

Older Adults Discharged from the Hospital with Delirium: 1-Year Outcomes
Gail J. McAvay, PhD, MS, Peter H. Van Ness, PhD, MPH, Sidney T. Bogardus, Jr, MD, Ying Zhang, MD, MPH, Douglas L. Leslie, PhD, Linda S. Leo-Summers, MPHSharon K. Inouye, MD, MPH

OBJECTIVES: To compare 1-year institutionalization and mortality rates of patients who were delirious at discharge, patients whose delirium resolved by discharge, and patients who were never delirious in the hospital.

DESIGN: Secondary analysis of prospective cohort data from the Delirium Prevention Trial.