Age as a basis for healthcare rationing. Arguments against agism.

Age alone is a poor marker of disability. Decision making in medicine should be based on potential benefit to the individual. Most healthcare expenditure on the elderly is for routine care, which few could argue should be denied because of age. Healthcare reforms that encourage functional independence and community based care of the elderly are more likely to lead to cost savings than simple rationing according to age. Treatment options previously thought futile in the elderly, particularly surgical interventions and drug therapy for cardiovascular disease, have been shown to be effective in terms of improved health and cost benefit. Thus, discrimination on the basis of age (agism) is not only ethically unacceptable in a society embracing principles of justice and equity, but also unsupportable on scientific and/or economic analysis.

Extended hospital stays with increasing age: the impact of an acute geriatric unit.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between increasing age and extended length of hospitalisation, and the impact of an acute geriatric unit on this association. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of concurrently collected data of patients admitted to three general medical units, one of which was an acute geriatric unit. SETTING: Alfred Hospital, Melbourne (a tertiary referral teaching hospital), between 1 July 1993 to 30 June 1994. PATIENTS: Those classified into the same diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) as the 15 most common DRGs of the acute geriatric unit. OUTCOME MEASURE: Incidence of patients with extended lengths of stay ("high outliers"), analysed by age, medical unit and DRG. RESULTS: Of 3499 patients discharged from the hospital with the 15 study DRGs, 303 patients (8.6%) were from the acute geriatric unit, and 274 and 300 patients (7.8% and 8.5%) were from the two other general medical units, respectively. Patients in the acute geriatric unit were significantly older (median age group, 75-79; age range, 18-98) than patients in all other hospital units (median age group, 60-64; age range, 18-97) (P < 0.0001). Analysis of patients with respiratory and cardiovascular DRGs admitted to all general medical units compared with specialty units showed this age discrepancy was even more marked for patients aged over 85. There was an increased likelihood (P < 0.001) of an extended length of stay for patients aged over 55. The incidence of high outliers for comparable DRGs was lower for patients cared for by the acute geriatric unit, compared with general medical units. In the acute geriatric unit, unlike the overall trend, the proportion of high outliers did not increase with age. CONCLUSIONS: The specialised management of acute geriatric medical units can counteract the trend towards increased incidence of high outliers with increasing age, despite significantly older patients.

Sleep problems.

Sleep complaints are common in the elderly, and are often related to physiological changes with ageing, or secondary to illness and drug therapy. Primary sleep disorders, such as sleep apnoea and movement disorders, are also common. Management should be specific to the problem. Attention to underlying factors and sleep hygiene, as well as reassurance and education about age-related sleep changes, will often be sufficient. Hypnotics, which usually offer only temporary symptomatic relief, may be counterproductive, and should be prescribed only in the short term, except in limited specific cases. Short-acting benzodiazepines (e.g., temazepam or oxazepam), or possibly zopiclone, are currently the drugs of choice.

Fluoxetine induced dyskinesia.

A case of fluoxetine induced dyskinesia in an elderly woman with previous use of low dose haloperidol is described. In contrast to neuroleptic induced tardive dyskinesia it was characterised by a rapid onset after commencing fluoxetine and rapid resolution on cessation. In the case discussion we describe other cases of fluoxetine induced extrapyramidal syndromes and possible mechanisms.