Prevention and management of delirium in older Australians: The need for the integration of carers as partners in care

Abstract

Despite being the most common hospital-acquired complication (35.7 per 10,000 admissions) in Australia, with a healthcare cost of $8.8 billion, assessment of hospital-acquired delirium remains ineffective.1,2 Delirium is a common and often preventable condition characterised by a sudden decline in a person's baseline mental function, evident by confusion, and changes to behaviour and level of consciousness.3 Studies report undiagnosed rates of delirium as high as 66% in older adults, and up to 87.5% in cases where dementia is also present.