Canadian Coalition of Seniors Mental Health
This site carries the National Guidelines for Delirium, as well as those for Depression, Mental Health Issues in Long Term Care, and Suicide, and a wealth of other resources. You are asked to sign in to view the Guidelines, as they are monitoring hits and seeking feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of the Guidelines in practice. http://www.ccsmh.ca/en/natlGuidelines/initiative.cfm
RN Association of Ontario
This website offers Best Practice Guidelines developed by the RNAO since 1999, with 30 English publications to date. See the Delirium, Depression & Dementia Best Practice Guideline. There are two documents at this site, one focusing on screening for delirium, depression and dementia, the other on caregiving strategies for older adults with these conditions. RNAO - Nursing Best Practices
Regional Geriatric Program - Central Ontario
This program is affiliated with McMaster University and sponsored by Hamilton Health Sciences. Among the many excellent documents and resources listed on their website are: Delirium Best Practice Guideline, Delirium Prevention poster useful for general public education, case studies and education presentations developed by Sharon Inouye. Go to Best Practice/Delirium. Regional Geriatric Program Central
BC NurseLine
Talk to a nurse by phone, or contact them for algorithms for delirium. In British Columbia, dial 8-1-1. http://bchealthguide.org/nurseline.stm
GPEP - BC
The Gero-Psychiatric Education Program is available to staff in Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. Their website provides general information about GPEP programmes and education resources. Vancouver Coastal Health - Geropsychiatric Education Program
Vancouver General Hospital Elder Care Modules
Care modules from Geriatric Psychiatry Outreach Team at Vancouver General Hospital. Please contact GPOT for access and evaluation.
ICU Delirium and Cognitive Study Group
Resources include two excellent video clips for nurse/physician training about delirium and identifying delirium using the CAM - ICU, by Dr. Wes Ely and Brenda Puns from Vanderbilt University. http://www.icudelirium.org/delirium/patient.videos.html
VIHA Geriatric Medicine
The VIHA Department of Geriatric Medicine internal intranet site carries the GUIDELINES FOR MANAGEMENT OF DELIRIUM IN THE ELDERLY. If you are external to VIHA please contact us.
Acute Care Geriatric Nurse Network
Clinical Practice Guidelines, links and resources from BC's Clinical Nurse Specialists in geriatrics, gerontology, geropsychiatry, geriatric rehabilitation and nurse continence. www.acgnn.ca
Recommended Reading
Dahlke, S., and A. Phinney. (2008). Caring for hospitalized older adults at risk for delirium. The silent, unspoken piece of nursing practice. Journal of Gerontological Nursing , 34(6), 41-47.
Fick, D. M., & Mion, L. C. (2008). How to try this: Delirium superimposed on dementia. Am J Nurs, 108(1), 52-60; quiz 61.
Forrest, J.,Wilis, L., Holm, K., Kwon, M.S., Anderson, M.A., and Foreman, M.D. (2007). Recognizing quiet delirium. ANJ, 107(4), 35-39.
Inouye, S.K. (2006). Delirium in Older Persons. The New England Journal of Medicine, 354(11), 1157-1165.
Parke, B. & Brand, P. (2004). An Elder-Friendly Hospital: Translating a Dream into Reality. Nursing Leadership, 17(1), p 62-76.
The Geriatric Psychiatry Resource Manual for Nurses, 2nd Ed., contains Best Practice in Mental Health & Aging, which focuses on nursing care of older people with acute psychiatric syndromes. Although it is directed at nurses, it is a a user-friendly resource for all disciplines.
See St. Vincent's Hospital Foundation for order form.
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Last update: February 2009