Seizure Considerations in Older Adults and Geriatric Patients.

Older adults account for 25% of first-time seizures, with many of these seizures caused by accumulated injuries and insults to the brain and comorbidities associated with aging or as a result of a life-threatening comorbidity, yet seizures in older adults are often so subtle that they are not recognized or treated. Once an older adult has 1 seizure, they are at higher risk of more seizures and ultimately a diagnosis of epilepsy. Epilepsy affects quality of life and safety and may jeopardize life itself in the older adult; thus, it is important to be able to recognize seizures in older adults and know what to do.

Agitated Geriatric Patients and Violence in the Workplace.

Older adults may suddenly exhibit behaviors that are viewed as noncompliant, noncooperative, and threatening. They may even lash out verbally and physically causing injury to health care staff. In addition to taking actions that prevent harm to the staff and the patient, determining what caused this behavior (dementia vs delirium or other cases) will be critical, as well as debriefing the staff after the incident.

Building a Campaign to Increase Older Driver Safety.

With aging, physical and cognitive changes can affect driving safety. Emergency nurses can provide education for seniors that can create awareness of these changes and ways to mitigate the changes, allowing the older driver to remain independent and a safer driver.

The Loneliness of Aging.

Isolation and loneliness have become buzz words when discussing older adults during the coronavirus disease pandemic; yet, these are age-old problems. Both have been studied extensively, yet there currently is no rapid or succinct tool that can be used in the emergency department to screen for either, or a consensus of evidence-based ways to correct these issues. This is of concern because both loneliness and social isolation have been linked to poor health. Poor health, in turn, can lead to worse isolation and loneliness. These health problems may lead to the older adult seeking care in the emergency department where screening and initial treatment could be initiated. Suggestions for questions that emergency nurses can ask to identify an older adult who is lonely or suffers from social isolation, as well as steps to consider when encountering the older adult with complaints of loneliness and/or social isolation, are provided, with the realization that these are only the first steps of many that would need to be taken. The purpose of this article is to bring forward updated information that discusses loneliness and social isolation in older adults, a timely priority during the coronavirus disease pandemic and often listed as a factor in older adult deaths. A review of relevant screening tools for use in the emergency department are provided.