Mónica De Sousa

"The ICU nurses played recordings of my voice for my dad. My actual voice. Telling him who I was, where he was, that we loved him. They said it calmed him when nothing else worked." - Daughter #delirium

Sedated for "agitation." Pelvic fracture found 2 days later. The agitation was pain. It very often is, especially in surgical patients. When someone is agitated & delirious, the first question isn't "what do we give them?" - It's "what's causing this?" Pain. Infection. Urinary retention. Constipation. Hypoxia. The list of treatable causes is long.  ↳ A systematic head to toe approach is always needed when evaluating the possible triggers. #delirium #medtwitter

💡 One of the most important findings in delirium research in recent years, and I think it's still not widely enough known. The DECIDE study (Richardson et al, Age and Ageing 2021) followed 305 older adults from the population-based CFAS II-Newcastle cohort. They compared cognitive trajectories in three groups: hospitalised with delirium, hospitalised without delirium, and a matched group who weren't admitted to hospital at all. The hospitalised patients who didn't develop delirium had essentially the same cognitive trajectory as those who were never admitted. No significant difference. But those who developed delirium during their admission showed a 2.2-point MMSE decline at one year compared to the no-delirium group (P<0.001). Neither the number of admissions nor total length of stay were significant predictors. For years we've assumed that hospital admission itself is bad for the brain. This study suggests the real culprit is delirium. And delirium is something we can detect and, at least partly, prevent. That makes it potentially a modifiable risk factor for dementia - at least it means that we need to look into this more and explore the potential benefits of early detection and aggressive treatment aimed at protecting the brain. #medtwitter #dementia

Don’t do urine dipsticks in older people. #skipthedip youtube.com/shorts/qtRHTvZ…

Myth: Sedatives (like benzos) are mostly helpful in calming delirium. Fact: Sedatives often worsen delirium. Non-drug approaches (reorientation, hydration, mobility) are first-line treatments.

⭐ New delirium resource: 50 free clinical cases to practice 4AT #delirium scoring 12 healthcare settings. 3 difficulty levels. Read the case, note your score, then click 'Show Worked Solution'. No login. No ads. Just learning. Please RT & share with colleagues! Link 👇

Does making an advanced care plan to die outside of hospital work? Is it worth it? @LeedsFrailtyEd

The Joint BGS / Vivensa Foundation Doctoral Training Fellowship is open for applications. This is a great opportunity for front-line healthcare professionals working with older people, including allied health professionals, doctors and nurses. buff.ly/ZnIbBO6

Another interesting paper on #dementia detection in hospital patients. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39616991/

Have you read our "Pragmatic prescribing to reduce harm for older people with moderate to severe frailty" document? It aims to support prescribing decisions for older people with moderate to severe frailty. buff.ly/WofRdSe

@melaniejaynepi1 @WWLNHS @emmajayaddie Good Luck @emmajayaddie! 🤍

So, team @WWLNHS are live at the #hsjawards. Here with the amazing @emmajayaddie , finalist for the Clinical leader of the year.

@dula79 @nmc @FrailtySDECWWL @WWLNHS @danielle It looks ace doesnt it! 🤍🥲 after so many years I finally got it Thank you! X

@mmsas91 @nmc @FrailtySDECWWL @WWLNHS Well done @Danielle 👏 Love the lanyard @mmsas91 👌

So Proud of Danielle on getting her @NMC Pin number and starting her Nursing journey in @FrailtySDECWWL can't wait for the many shifts together #workforcedevelopment #proudnurse @WWLNHS

Wonderful Guest Lecture from Professor Simon Conroy on Frailty Attuned Healthcare 1936 - 2025+. Great to hear about where the specialty has been and where it could go in the future. #BGSconf @GERED_DOC

@GemBurrows @wwl_ecc Thats fabulous! Well done x

🌟A big improvement in our ED mandatory training this month — small wins @wwl_ecc 🌟

Outstanding update by Dr Chris Critoph (Cardiologist Consultant) summarising beautifully HF management in older adults @GeriSoc #BGSConf

Emergency Department (ED) staff: screen ALL patients over 65 for delirium. Emergency departments are where it's most missed and most dangerous. Make it as routine as checking blood pressure.

Fascinating Guest Lecture from Professor Cathal McCrory on the social hallmarks of ageing. #BGSconf

@ClareThoma70072 @Kim_Whiteside @palliative_wwl Fabulous work!!

Here at the GM ACP Conference showcasing our Admission Avoidance work. Collaborative working with CRT, CAAT and ACST. @Kim_Whiteside @palliative_wwl

@marktaylor18 @GeriSoc I agree! Its even hard to prioritise the ones we want to watch live 🤯 outstanding selection @BGS and we are just on Day 1

@GeriSoc Over time #BGSconf has changed. It used to be we had to chose one of 3 great talks and miss the other 2. Now I have no excuse! I will be attending all 3 streams thanks to the recordings! Great stuff