[Delirium in the elderly; article for education and training purposes]. / Delier bij ouderen.

In delirium, there is an acute change of consciousness with fluctuations in attention, cognition and perception. Delirium can be provoked by medical conditions, or the use or withdrawal of drugs. Risk factors include older age and cognitive impairment. Delirium is associated with many complications, represents a significant emotional burden for the patient and caretakers, increases length of stay in the hospital, and causes higher health care costs. Non-pharmacological measurements can sometimes prevent delirium, and are essential for its treatment with proven effectiveness. Antipsychotics should be administered only as an exception, not as a rule. Antipsychotics may be of use when the patient puts himself or others in danger, or when he suffers substantially from hallucinations.

COVID-19: Clinical Challenges in Dutch Geriatric Psychiatry.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyday life tremendously in a short period of time. After a brief timeline of the Dutch situation and our management strategy to adapt geriatric mental health care, we present a case-series to illustrate the specific challenges for geriatric psychiatrists.

Telehealth in Psychiatry of Old Age: Ordinary Care in Extraordinary Times in Rural North-West Ireland.

The COVID-19 pandemic has required a rapid evolution of services to maintain routine care in Ireland. Services which had been previously slow to adapt technology in their practices are suddenly integrating various telehealth measures to continue routine practice where possible. In this article, we discuss the challenges we face in rapidly implementing telehealth in a rural Psychiatry of Old Age service in the North-West of Ireland.