Subcutanaeous emphysema: An extremely rare manifestation of supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma

We present the case report of a 60 years old man who presented to the emergency department with complaints of breathlessness for 2 weeks. After all common causes were ruled out, the patient was subjected to CT scan of neck in which he showed laryngeal mass growth which was perforating through the cartilage. There were a few surrounding lymph nodes and after an FNAC, it was found to be squamous cell carcinoma. The patient was referred for chemotherapy and radiotherapy at higher centre. To our knowledge, this is a very rare presentation of local extension of tumour. The patient presenting with carcinoma at a very late stage, succumbed to it 2 months later.

Role of cholesterol in cognitive function in the elderly

The role of cholesterol in Cognitive Decline is less known as compared to other pathologies linked with dyslipidaemia. However, Cholesterol is well-known to have multiple functions in normal functioning of the brain and the aging process. This study therefore aimed at finding a co-relation, if any, between Cholesterol and age-related cognitive decline.To assess Cognitive Function of subjects and compare it with respective blood cholesterol levels. The study included 50 elderly subjects from Maharashtra (females: 12%) assessed using Marathi version of Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and their cholesterol blood concentrations obtained using a Lipid Profile investigation. Cholesterol levels and cognitive function was then co-related using statistical analysis.The subjects with a higher Total Cholesterol & LDL Cholesterol had slightly less scores on the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) Test. However, the difference was found to be significant.Based on the results obtained, no relevant co-relation could be found between Blood Cholesterol Levels and Cognitive Function

Anxiety and depression in post-Menopausal women: A short review

Anxiety, Depression and stress are one of the most prevalent psychological problems witnessed in post-menopausal women. These complaints are mostly neglected by the females and ignored due to social stigmas and lack of awareness amongst the elderly population regarding the same. It often affects the quality of life and is thus essential to diagnose and treat on time. Reduced Vitamin D and estrogen levels are one of the proposed culprits behind these psychological disorders in post-menopausal women which will be discussed in this review.Systematic literature review was done with the help of data search domains such as Pubmed, Scopus, Web of science and google scholar. Case reports, observational studies and cross-sectional studies were included in this review.Depression and anxiety are common problems for the post-menopausal women. Various factors such as reduced Vitamin D levels and Estrogen levels as well as increased stress can contribute to development of these psychological complaints. Though these problems might look benign to the patients, they can severely impact the mental health and require more awareness amongst the patients to improve the mental as well as physical health in post-menopausal women.Women in the post-menopausal stage have increased predisposition towards developing psychological disorders and hence the assessment of mental health is essential in these females which should be a vital part of the evaluation done of these females.

Role of diet in old age

The average human life expectancy has increased in recent times, so there is more focus on aging, age-related disease, and geriatric care in society. Older malnourished adults are more likely to have poorer health outcomes, longer hospital stays, and increased mortality, so there is a need to provide a nutritious and healthy diet to the old age population.Recent studies have shown that some medicinal herbs are effective in the intervention or prevention of aging-associated neurological disorders. Unani System of Medicine is one of the old traditional medicines in the world providing health care to humanity for centuries successively through natural safe, effective, and economic herbal medicine.Diets recommended for the old age population have been highlighted in this article with special emphasis on the traditional diets mentioned in the USM for geriatric care. There is a need to explore USM for better care of old age population and to find out an effective, safe, and economic treatment for old age diseases like Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, etc.

Inclusive practice, personhood and co-production to promote person centred care for people living with dementia: A review on approaches of two countries regarding care of people living with dementia

This article attempts to describe a case study of a person living with dementia, a senior citizen, who is staying with her children at home, who are her caregivers. We will critically evaluate and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the services that have been provided to her by the Health Care Providers and will highlight the topic of Person-centred Care provided to her by her caregivers. We will be highlighting her case scenario wherein we will enlist and elaborate the details, about dementia care from the moment of receiving the diagnosis to challenges faced both by the people living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers, in providing care. In this article, we will compare the details about the various studies and findings in discussion and compare the caregiving practices in India and the UK.

A study to compare the effectiveness of maitland mobilization protocol on pain and functional mobility of patients with knee osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative condition among the elderly. It is characterized With the damage to the articular cartilage and persists with the symptoms of pain and stiffness in the joint. This study was conducted with 30 patients with Osteoarthritis of knee joint. The subjects were divided into three groups: Group A comprised of 15 subjects. Patients in this group received conventional physiotherapy comprising of Strengthening exercises, Stretching exercises, Range of motion exercises and cryotherapy.Group B (Experimental Group 1) comprised of 15 subjects. Patients in this group received Maitland’s Mobilization and Conventional physiotherapy exercises.All the subjects were assessed pre and post intervention program for VAS scale and WOMAC scale test. After analyzing the data following conclusions were drawn;Results showed that there was significant improvement in the VAS score and WOMAC score of all the two groups for the pre and the post test measurement. The inter group comparison of all the two groups showed that there was highly significant difference between the Maitland’s group and the control group (p<0.001).

The role of humour and laughter therapy in decreasing caregiver burden among carers of a person living with dementia- A case study

Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle was employed to explore a critical case study involving a senior citizen with dementia and measures to reduce caregiver burden by humour and laughter therapy. This experience highlights key themes of caregiver burden-reduction measures through humour and laughter. This problem is discussed in relation to lack of awareness about measures to reduce caregiver burden arising due to caretaking of a person with dementia. Inclusion of this therapy as a non-pharmacological method of stress management, could be useful in the guidelines for dementia care. Therefore, it is important to include training to all caregivers at home and care home setting to address the issue of caregiver burden.

Facial angioedema in young elderly: Rare complication of rare drug

Angioedema is an intense often disfiguring but temporary swelling of a localized area which usually involves superficially lying structures like skin, mucosa along with subcutaneous tissues. Areas which are often affected by angioedema have a wide range starting from the face, lips, tongue, pharynx, the supraglottic area and rarely, the subglottic area. It might also effect the gastrointestinal mucous membranes, genitalia, hands and feet. There maybe variety of causes for development of angioedema including various drug intake, insect bites or stings and certain types of food products particularly nuts, milk and eggs. Levamisole is known to have anthelminthic and immunomodulatory properties and is a common contaminant in cocaine due to its mood stimulatory action. Here we report a case of a 60-year-old female who presented with angioedema following ingestion of a drug known as levamisole for its anthelminthic activity.

Person-centred care in dementia: Philosophy and challenges in implementation

Health care concept is increasingly moving away from medical, task oriented and professional driven model towards a holistic model of health care which values the needs of the persons and centred on the needs of the patients. This shift is described as person centred care. Despite the wide availability of literature, philosophy and evidence on the outcomes of the person centred care, barely it is an ideal in reality. This present article throws light on the philosophy and challenges of person centred care and tries to raise the awareness and understanding about person centred care for people with dementia and explores on the challenges underpinning person-centred care in dementia.Person centred care means, being “respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions”. Each individual has unique history, personality, values, right to dignity, respect and right to participation. PCC framework emphasises on the assumptions made about the people with dementia, care givers attitude, models and care practices, factors at organisational level, cultural factors as well as structural elements such as lighting and flooring. It is a holistic philosophy across the continuum of services which takes into account the specific needs of each person. The philosophy of person centred care focuses on “the abilities and strength of the person than the losses” and on “the person than on the condition”.Lack of clarity in understanding person centred care in dementia, lack of research evidence, not valuing the views and needs of people with dementia, organisational culture, task centred care culture, lack of resources. : To improve quality of life of people with dementia and for the better functioning of the people with dementia there is a need for greater implementation of person centred care. However the challenges in the implementation of person centred care are masking the achievements and positive aspects of the person centred care approach. The challenge ahead for dementia experts is to advocate and raise the awareness and understanding and to provide evidence based solutions in practically implementing person centred care and making it more real in practice than keeping it ideal in literature.