Vital signs in the older adult — what changes

Fever may be absent or blunted: a rise of 1.1 °C above the person's own baseline is significant, and a temperature of 37.8 °C may already indicate infection. Baseline blood pressure is often higher: a reading of 116/70 in someone whose baseline is 138/76 is already a drop. Maximum heart rate is lower, so tachycardia may be modest despite serious illness. A new confusion is often the first and only sign of infection or of an adverse drug effect.

Clinical content reviewed by Ducamelle Louis, Registered Nurse