COVID-19 infection in the elderly in French-speaking Switzerland: an inventory of beliefs, convictions and certainties/ Infection COVID-19 chez les personnes agees en Suisse Romande - Un etat des lieux entre croyances, convictions et certitudes

Most patients hospitalized for COVID-19 are aged over 70 years old, and half of those who die are over 83 years old Older patients do not always present with typical symptoms (fever, cough and dyspnoea) but sometimes are and remain asymptomatic (contact screening), or have aspecific presentations (altered general condition, falls, delirium, unusual fatigue) Rectal swab, which minimizes exposition risk, appears useful in long-term care patients with diarrhea Older age is associated with worse prognosis, but the analysis should be refined by means of prognostic indexes that account for the heterogeneous health, functional, and cognitive status of the elderly population Gathering elderly patients\u0027 wishes and assessing their remaining life expectancy allows to anticipate care decisions according to the level of tension in the health system La majorite des patients COVID-19 hospitalises ont plus de 70 ans et 50?% de ceux qui en decedent ont plus de 83 ans La clinique typique nest pas toujours presente chez les personnes tres agees qui peuvent etre et rester totalement asymptomatiques (depistage contact) ou avoir des manifestations aspecifiques (baisse de letat general, chutes, delirium, fatigue) Le frottis anal, qui minimise le risque dexposition, peut saverer tres utile en EMS lors de diarrhees Lage avance est un marqueur de mauvais pronostic, mais devrait etre pondere a laide dindex pronostiques pour tenir compte de lheterogeneite de letat de sante, fonctionnel et cognitif a lage avance Recueillir les souhaits de la personne et evaluer son esperance de vie restante permet danticiper les decisions de soins selon le niveau de tension du systeme de sante