Topic module

Frailty, Falls and Cognitive Syndromes

Use comprehensive geriatric assessment to manage frailty, falls, delirium, dementia and functional decline.

Long-form learning

Concept to Risk to Memory to Check-up

Use the official likely question distribution to plan breadth, then connect mechanisms, patterns and investigations to one most appropriate answer.

Core concepts

Concept 1

Frailty changes vulnerability and treatment tolerance but does not justify diagnostic or therapeutic nihilism.

Exam cue: Assess function, cognition, medicines, mobility and social context together.

Concept 2

Delirium is an acute fluctuating syndrome requiring cause search and supportive care.

Exam cue: Distinguish baseline from acute change using collateral history.

Risk pitfalls and guardrails

Attributing acute deterioration to age.

Guardrail: Do not delay stabilisation or specialist escalation for a test that will not change immediate care.

Using a falls label without evaluating syncope and medicines.

Guardrail: Do not select an option merely because it is true; choose the one that best answers the exact stem and fits the full pattern.

Memory anchors

What is comprehensive geriatric assessment?

Multidimensional review of medical, psychological, functional, social and environmental needs with a coordinated plan.

What distinguishes delirium?

Acute onset, fluctuation and impaired attention due to an underlying cause.

What belongs in falls assessment?

Circumstances, syncope, gait, vision, feet, cognition, medicines, environment and injury risk.

What makes frailty clinically relevant?

Reduced physiological reserve increases vulnerability to illness, treatment and transitions of care.

What supports cognitive assessment?

Patient and collateral history, function, mood, medicines, physical causes and safety.

Checkpoint rule

Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.

Knowledge Check (after reading)

Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.

1-2 question checkpoint

An 86-year-old woman has slowed walking, unintentional weight loss, exhaustion and reduced grip strength. What geriatric syndrome is most likely?

An 82-year-old man becomes acutely inattentive and disoriented after surgery. His alertness fluctuates over hours. What is the diagnosis?

Answer all questions to submit.

Next step personalized recommendations

Move forward only after this module is stable.

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