Hospital patients with dementia and other causes of confusion 'have worse outcomes'
The research is the first large population-based study to prove that people with confusion caused by dementia or delirium, have inferior treatment outcomes, when compared with the rest of the population. Lead researcher, Professor Emma Reynish, Chair in Dementia Studies at the University of Stirling, said: "People with confusion -- or cognitive spectrum disorders -- make up over one-third of the population over 65 who are admitted as an emergency to hospital, and half of patients over the age of 85 years. "People who are admitted to hospital with confusion seem to do badly, and are at an increased risk of dying, increased risk of re-admission, and a hospital stay nearly two weeks longer than those without confusion. It is unclear whether this is as a result of the care that they are given or the disease process itself, or a combination of both. "People with confusion include: those with dementia; those with delirium -- a sudden change in someone's cognitive ...