Objective: ‘Elder Abuse’ is a major issue impacting many households. Although several surveys to understand this growing crime against elders has shown varied prevalence worldwide, not much data exists in the state of Puducherry. The main objectives were to screen for abuse, study the demographic patterns of the abused elderly, to estimate their reporting behaviour and awareness of redress mechanisms. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis on the elderly patients attending the out-patient department of a tertiary care centre in Puducherry for various ailments. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 300 patients after their informed consent, and the results were statistically analysed. Results: About one-fifth of the elderly reported abuse, the majority belonged to lower socio-economic strata. Disrespect was the most common form of abuse experienced. While the Police Helpline was reported to be the most known redress mechanism, more than one-third of the study population were not aware of any form of redress mechanisms. Conclusion: The findings highlighted the range and type of abuse experienced. The general perception that the families are the safest place for the elderly in India has been questioned by the findings which emerged from this study. Although the victims were aware of the help and support received through police and other agencies, several obstacles to seeking help and support were identified.

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Objective: To examine caregiver burden among caregivers of hospitalised geriatric patients with palliative care design. Method: Caregivers of 330 geriatric patients with various chronic end-stage diseases were assessed using BSFC-s questionnaire. Results: Majority of caregivers were spouses (26%). The caregiver burden across the categories was more than 60% across all the questions asked in the BSFC-s questionnaire. Maximum in the caregiver with end-stage renal disease (60.3%) and a minimum of frail elderly (50.2%). Conclusion: Caregiver burden was common in caregivers of geriatric patients with end-stage chronic diseases. The burden was associated with the caregiver's report of need for greater help with daily tasks but not with objective measures of the patient's need for assistance, such as symptoms or functional status, suggesting that burden may be a measure of the caregiver's ability to adapt to the caregiving role.

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Background: Age-related changes in the cardiovascular system are significant, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in older adults. CVDs are currently the leading cause of mortality among older Indian adults, yet very few studies are presently available evaluating the older adults for CVDs and risk factors. We aim to assess the very old adults for the prevalence of CVDs and risk factors using non-invasive assessment tools. Methodology: This hospital-based cross-sectional study included 200 adults aged 75 years and above, visiting a tertiary care hospital in India. They underwent routine clinical evaluation, a comprehensive geriatric assessment and detailed cardiovascular evaluation using non-invasive tools like echocardiography and blood investigations. Results: The overall prevalence of CVDs in this population was 76%. Among the cardiovascular risk factors, hyperhomocysteinemia was present in 83.5%, hypertension in 59.5%, dyslipidemia in 41.5%, sedentary lifestyle in 35%, and obesity in 30.5%, and Diabetes Mellitus in 24.5%. In echocardiographic assessment, valvular dysfunction was present in 33% of the population, though moderate to severe valvular disease was seen in 6.5%. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was seen in 81%, systolic dysfunction in 10% and pulmonary hypertension in 5% of the subjects. Conclusion: The very old adults had significant age-related changes in echocardiographic assessment, along with the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors. These findings should encourage physicians to screen the very old adults for cardiovascular risk factors and diseases, for their early identification and effective management.

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Objectives: To study the prevalence of Geriatric giants among elderly attending Geriatric clinic of YMCH and to study the various factors (like Age, gender, co-morbidity, etc.) associated with these Geriatric giants. Method: This retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary care referral centre, from the year 2018 to 2019, Ethics committee approval was taken wide letter no. YEC-1/29/2020 (Protocol YEC2/162). Two hundred two geriatric patients, presenting to the geriatric clinic with geriatric giants, with various co-morbidities, their data was recorded. Falls in the previous year and urinary incontinence were recorded. Polypharmacy is considered as concurrent use of more than four drugs. Diagnosis of dementia and depression was conducted according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition diagnostic criteria. All the proportions were expressed as percentages; mean ± SD were used for Numerical Data. Factors such as age group, gender, morbidity index (number of morbidity present) which are related to geriatric giants were assessed using the Chi-square test. Results: The frequency of urinary incontinence was 75.7%, depression was 69.3%, falls were 67.3%, dementia was 47.5%, and polypharmacy was 33.6%. When all the participants were divided into four groups age-wise, respectively (60-69, 70-79, 80-89, 90-99 years), all syndromes were significantly increased with age. While a significant number of cases in the 60-69 years age group did not have any syndromes, more than 50% of cases in ≥80 years had more than three geriatric syndromes simultaneously. Conclusion: The frequency and coincidence of geriatric giants, except for polypharmacy, increases with age. Therefore, clinicians other than the geriatricians taking care of older people should be aware of these syndromes as well as their treatment mechanisms.

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