Abstract
Background Today, nearly two thirds of inpatients in trauma surgery hospitals are over 70 years
old and at significant risk for comorbidities. These patients frequently suffer delirium.
Delirium occurs in 15 – 30% of these trauma patients and increases the risk of mortality
in up to 15 – 25% of cases. Conversation, attention, and activity significantly reduce
this risk.
Objectives Thus, the Centre for Geriatric Traumatology and the District Seniors Council have
initiated a new project of a visiting service, to prevent delirium and anxiety conditions
in elderly inpatients. Volunteers from the welfare program offer daily care for selected
patients.
Methods They care for and interact with the patients for approximately one hour per day.
They accompany the patients in the hospital and during mobilization, explain, read
aloud, converse, or simply listen, and thus provide calm, support, and company. The
attendants are volunteers who have been previously trained by the clinic, who regularly
attend team meetings and draw up reports from each admission. All patients and relatives
are informed prior to these visits and are notified with an accompanying letter. There
are structured visiting plans for each week.
Results From July 17 to May 19, 4031 patients in our clinic and in three other hospitals
have been accompanied in the program. None of the patients suffered delirium. The
patients and attendants found the care very good and personally satisfying. Evaluations
of the volunteers for the success of their work, using the German school-grading system,
was an average 1.3. Noticeable was the markedly reduced frequency of patient calls
to nursing, who were thus relieved. Travel expenses and insurance costs for the volunteers
were reimbursed.
Conclusion In times of skilled labour shortages, patient support provided by volunteer patient
attendants enables innovative care for patients at risk for delirium. The assistance
of the attendants alone reduced the workload on the nursing staff.
Key words
patientsʼ attendant - layman assistant - geriatric trauma surgery - delirium
