Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment

Comprehensive geriatric assessment is a dynamic and structured diagnostic process to detect and quantify the problems, needs and abilities of the elderly in clinical areas, functional, mental, social and emotional, to develop an intervention, treatment and long term follow up with in order to optimize resources and to achieve the greatest degree of independence and quality of life. For this assessment, means are used such as the history, physical examination and a series of more specific instruments denominated assessment scales that facilitate the detection and tracking of problems and communication between the various professionals that serve the greater. In this blog I focus on effective scales for the assessment of each area.

 

Clinical Sphere:

• Interview, history, physical examination, medical history.              
• Assessment by 14 Virginia Henderson needs.
• Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA).

 

Functional área:

• Basic Activities of Daily Living (ADL).
• Index of activities of daily living (Katz).
• Barthel Index.
• Disability Scale Red Cross.
• Scale Plutchik.
• Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL).
• Lawton and Brody Index.

Mental and social sphere:

• Pfeiffer Questionnaire.
• Mini-Mental State Examination of Folstein (MMSE).
• Wolf Mini Mental State Examination (MEC).
• Test Clock.
• Social Resource Scale (ORS).
• Zarit scale (caregiver fatigue).

Affective sphere:

• Scale of Yesavage geriatric depression.

 

 

I think the rating scales are an indispensable and that help a lot, both the old man in his assessment and treatment, as health workers in diagnosis. But I argue that there are many scales complicated to perform and must always be based on common sense, never losing the human side towards patients.

 

Bibliography:

• Hoffman, G. Basic Geriatric Nursing 5th Edition. Elsevier; 2012.