Mary-Lynn Peters retweeted
Anyone can use the 4AT without permission, payment or registration. It is licensed under CC BY 4.0, which allows copying and adapting with credit, and it has been translated into more than 20 languages.
The form, the user guide and worked examples are at the4AT.com
Mary-Lynn Peters retweeted
💭 Q: What challenges do Canadians face throughout the dementia care journey?
A: People living with dementia and their caregivers can encounter barriers at many stages, from diagnosis through to end-of-life.
These include:
🔹 Delays in receiving a diagnosis
🔹 Gaps in primary care access and provider capacity
🔹 Inconsistent post-diagnostic supports
🔹 Poorly coordinated care
🔹 An under-resourced long-term care sector
🔹 Barriers to equitable, inclusive and culturally safe care
The NIA’s new report examines these challenges and identifies opportunities to build more cohesive and comprehensive dementia care systems across Canada.
🔗 Read the full report here: niageing.ca/reports/addressi…
#DementiaCare #DementiaAwareness #NIAResearch #SmallStepsBigDifference
I love this! It’s incorporating “what matters most” (to the person) into care plans! An essential part of the 5Ms of geriatrics 👏
Mary-Lynn Peters retweeted
Canadian Malnutrition Awareness Week begins on Monday! Check out the engaging lineup of FREE webinars designed to bring evidence-based knowledge to the forefront and inspire action across healthcare settings:
nutritioncareincanada.ca/can…
#CMAW2026
Mary-Lynn Peters retweeted
Nobody quits the emergency department because they stopped caring. They quit because caring stopped being enough. Fifteen ER nurses left one Ontario hospital in two months. And if you’ve worked in an emergency department anywhere in this country, I don’t think you’re surprised.
Mary-Lynn Peters retweeted
The Ford government has cut the following positions from Ontario hospitals. It's total insanity:
-Hamilton Health Sciences: 413 positions, 143 nurses
-Ottawa Hospital: 400 positions, 200+ nurses
-London Health Sciences: 212 nurses
-Queensway Carelton: 160 positions
-Sunnybrook: 100 nurses
-Quinte Health: 59 positions
-Bruyere: 55 positions
-St. Joe's Hamilton: 24 positions
Thank you MPP Watt for standing up for patients. @tylerwatt
I asked the Health Minister about nurses and health care workers being laid off across Ontario.
She didn’t answer.
Throughout committee, she blamed the federal government, blamed the previous Liberal government from eight years ago, and avoided answering questions.
Health care workers and patients deserve better than excuses. #onpoli
So excited for these new quality standards from Ontario Health! Falls in adults and Frailty in adults, for all care settings. Lots to learn and integrate into practice!
All great strategies! And if possible, try for up in a chair for meals. So much better for swallowing, digestion, skin care/pressure point relief, MSK activation and much more…
A meal delivered to the bedside does not prove that someone ate.
Open packaging, position the person well, offer help and record actual intake when nutrition is a clinical concern.
#nutrition
Mary-Lynn Peters retweeted
"They've tried the non-drug approach" can mean two very different things.
A leaflet of sleep hygiene tips is not cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. CBT-I is a structured course of treatment, and NICE puts it first for long-term insomnia.
Mary-Lynn Peters retweeted
A repeat prescription tells you what someone is taking. It rarely tells you why they are still taking it.
The most useful column in a medication review is the one headed "what is this for, and does that still apply".
Mary-Lynn Peters retweeted
If follow-up is planned in six months, define what should trigger earlier review: getting lost, medicine errors, falls, unsafe cooking, rapid change or new hallucinations.
A date without a safety plan is poor follow-up.
#dementia
Mary-Lynn Peters retweeted
The 4AT is a two-minute bedside test for delirium, scored 0 to 12. It is the most validated delirium tool in the literature.
The 4AT has built-in cognitive test items that can be scored.
Here is a a worked example of 4AT scoring from a care home: cognitive impairment but no sudden change.
Mrs Adeyemi is alert.
She makes two or more mistakes on the AMT4 (four questions: age, date of birth, place, year) and says six months backwards but does complete the item.
Her carer reports no acute change.
Scoring:
Alertness - score 0
AMT4 - score 2
Months backwards - score 1
Acute change - 0
Total score is 3 out of 12 indicating cognitive impairment but no delirium.
#Delirium
Love these realistic examples of using the 4AT!
A 4AT (delirium test) score of 3 out of 12: possible cognitive impairment.
This care home example scores 0 for alertness, 2 for the AMT4 (age, birth date, place, year), 1 for months backwards and 0 for acute change.
Staff report no sudden change from her usual self.
#Delirium

ALT Six-panel 4AT scoring comic: Mrs Adeyemi sits in a care home armchair. She is alert, makes two or more AMT4 mistakes, and says six months backwards from December to July. Her carer reports no sudden change from her usual self. Scores: alertness 0, AMT4 2, attention 1, acute change 0. Total 3/12: possible cognitive impairment.
This is so important. It is vital that we specifically discuss delirium at transitions of care, e.g. going from critical care to the floors, from acute care to rehab, as well as upon discharge to the community. Love the inclusion of education for patients/families!
Delirium aftercare: name it in the discharge letter, teach the early signs of recurrence, expect gradual recovery, talk about frightening memories, book cognitive follow-up.
The episode ends before the caring should.
#delirium
Would also consider social determinants of health, such as food insecurity, food deserts, or housing insecurity
Weight loss in an older person is a symptom that needs an explanation.
Ask about appetite, swallowing, teeth, mood, medicines, bowels, shopping, cooking and illness.
#nutrition
Agreed! Early and regular mobilization is crucial: up in a chair for meals, feet on the floor while seated, walk to toilet, standing at sink for personal hygiene. All of these can help preserve function and prevent hospital acquired de conditioning.
Bed rest is not benign for an older person.
Even during necessary hospital treatment, preserve safe movement, transfers and time out of bed when possible.
#mobility
Mary-Lynn Peters retweeted
A fragility fracture is a sign of weakened bone.
Do not wait for a second fracture before asking about osteoporosis assessment and treatment.
#osteoporosis nogg.org.uk/full-guideline
Mary-Lynn Peters retweeted
On World Suicide Prevention Day, CNA recognizes the importance of compassion, connection and timely access to mental health supports.
Nurses are often trusted points of contact for people in distress. Through assessment, advocacy, crisis support and ongoing care, nurses help create pathways to safety, hope and healing.
If you or someone you know needs immediate support in Canada, call or text 988.
--
À l’occasion de la Journée mondiale de la prévention du suicide, l’AIIC reconnaît l’importance de la compassion, des liens humains et d’un accès rapide aux soutiens en santé mentale.
Le personnel infirmier est souvent un point de contact de confiance pour les personnes en détresse. Par l’évaluation, la défense des intérêts, le soutien en situation de crise et les soins continus, les infirmières et infirmiers contribuent à créer des chemins vers la sécurité, l’espoir et la guérison.
Si vous ou une personne que vous connaissez avez besoin d’un soutien immédiat au Canada, appelez ou textez le 988.
#WorldSuicidePreventionDay #MentalHealth #SuicidePrevention #CNA #NursingCare #JournéePréventionSuicide #SantéMentale #PréventionDuSuicide #AIIC #SoinsInfirmiers
Neat!
#ONStorm #ONwx Keep Your Eyes to the Sky This Evening for a Rare Treat! 🛰️
Space lovers, rejoice! The International Space Station will fly directly over Southern Ontario this evening and it should be visible to just about anyone who looks.
While you may have spotted it during the evening throughout the week, tonight will be rare because we are looking at completely clear skies across the region this evening. Considering how many celestial events are ruined by cloud cover in Southern Ontario (eclipses, comets, Northern Lights, etc), having fully clear skies is a huge win in our books!
You will only have a few minutes to catch a glimpse of the ISS as it streaks across the sky at speeds approaching 28,000km/h. The Station will begin to be visible along the horizon in the southwest sky shortly after 8:30pm and it will quickly rise to being almost overhead, before falling below the horizon to the northeast less than 10 minutes later. The best window to see the ISS, at its highest point, will be from 8:36pm to 8:38pm. Now, don’t fret if you’re not directly under the path because it will still be visible quite high in the sky.
The Space Station will look like a bright star to the naked eye as it races across the sky this evening. If you’re wanting a better look at it, you may think about using a telescope. However, it will be difficult for amateurs to track the Station using a manual telescope, given how fast it moves and how quickly it will disappear from sight. Instead, you may want to try high power binoculars, if you have a pair of them.
With the ISS slated to be decommissioned in the next 5 years, this provides a great opportunity to catch a clear glimpse of this incredible spacecraft.
- Alannah





















