Search results for ‘Subject term:"alzheimers disease"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 63
HCBS can keep people with dementia at home
- Author:
- CHERRY Debra L.
- Journal article citation:
- Generations, 36(1), 2012, pp.83-90.
- Publisher:
- American Society on Aging
Progress towards making HCBS (Home and Community Based Services) a mainstream choice for older adults is challenging when an older person has moderate to severe cognitive impairment. These individuals need a modified continuum of care: one that is dementia-capable. This article discusses approaches that make a difference for people with Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias who want to live at home and in their communities—and for their family members. (Publisher abstract)
Moving toward Medicare home health coverage for people with Alzheimer’s disease
- Author:
- CABIN William D.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 51(1/2), 2008, pp.77-86.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Over 75% of care for people in the USA with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias is provided by family members, imposing a significant personal burden in terms of stress, depression, social isolation and other problems. Despite the existence of reputable evidence in favour of the benefits of home- and community-based palliative care provision, this is not incorporated within Medicare which is dominated by the curative, drug-focused medical model. As a result, there are significant unmet client and carer needs, and high costs to all parties including Medicare when, for example, premature admission to institutional care follows the failure to provide any support for carers. There is a strong case for the federal government to fund a demonstration project to test the efficacy of palliative home care for improving quality of life and reducing costs for Medicare clients with Alzheimer’s disease, and for their carers. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Two days in December
- Author:
- DARTINGTON Tim
- Journal article citation:
- Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 6(3), August 2007, pp.327-341.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Tim Dartington has drawn on contemporaneous documents, diary notes and more recently a blog, in putting together this account of two days out of six years. Anna was a psychotherapist and writer on adolescence until she took early retirement in 2000 and underwent tests for Alzheimer's disease. She died at home in May 2007. In his description of his own thought processes and associations to the progression of the disease, Tim has included detail from his observation of ways that Anna managed herself in relation to the illness, and also her verbatim comment.
A core outcome set for nonpharmacological community-based interventions for people living with dementia at home: a systematic review of outcome measurement instruments
- Authors:
- HARDING Andrew J.E., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 61(8), 2021, pp.e435-e448.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background and Objectives: It is questionable whether existing outcome measurement instruments (OMIs) in dementia research reflect what key stakeholders’ value. The researchers attained consensus from more than 300 key stakeholders, including people living with dementia, and identified 13 core outcome items for use in nonpharmacological and community-based interventions for people with dementia living at home. This systematic review, reviews OMIs that have previously been used in dementia care research to determine how, or even if, the 13 core outcome items can be measured. Research Design and Methods: The researchers extracted self-reported OMIs from trials, reviews, and reports of instrument development. Searches were undertaken in the ALOIS database, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, SocINDEX, and COSMIN databases. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of OMI items for face validity with the core outcome items, content validity, internal consistency, and responsiveness. The researchers held a coresearch workshop involving people living with dementia and care partners in order to ratify the findings. Results: In total 347 OMIs were located from 354 sources. Of these, 76 OMIs met the inclusion criteria. No OMIs were deemed to have sufficient face validity for the core outcome set (COS) items, and no OMIs proceeded to further assessment. The “best” available OMI is the Engagement and Independence in Dementia Questionnaire. Discussion and Implications: This study provides a practical resource for those designing dementia research trials. Being able to measure the COS items would herald a paradigm shift for dementia research, be responsive to what key stakeholders value and enhance the ability to make comparisons. (Edited publisher abstract)
Satisfaction and difficulties of French professional home caregivers in supporting older people with Alzheimer's disease or alcohol misuse
- Authors:
- MOSCATO Alba, VARESCON Isabelle
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 26(1), 2018, pp.27-34.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
In France, few studies have examined home care when it comes to ageing support and even fewer have considered alcohol misuse in this context. The studies also show that being old and having alcohol use disorders are two unfavourable conditions for receiving help, whereas for the Alzheimer's disease, there is a clear need for optimal care. In this article, the authors study professional home caregiver's perceptions of their job along with their difficulties and satisfactions in supporting older people with Alzheimer's disease or alcohol misuse. Out of the 23 professionals approached, 17 took part in a research interview from October 2013 to January 2014. All interviews were recorded, fully transcribed and lexically analysed with Alceste® software. Among the five classes that were identified from 63% of the initial data, the main themes that emerged illustrate the nature of the associated pathologies, the perceptions and satisfactions related to the profession, their adaptive skills, the difficulties related to the life context of the older person, and the wine consumption of the latter. The lexical discourse analysis shows that the professional home caregivers are involved in looking after not only people with Alzheimer's disease but also those with alcohol misuse. However, despite the difficulties and satisfactions encountered, adaptation to the older people seems to be their priority and one of the many skills that they have acquired during their professionalisation. Most of the older people who are helped are women and the difficulties mentioned by their caregivers usually arise at the time of their death. Lastly, when caring for alcohol misusers, they describe negative attitudes in their support. Although research in this area is rare while home care for the older person, whatever the pathology, is increasing, professionals need to be supported by the associations or companies that employ them and should be trained to help them provide the appropriate care. (Edited publisher abstract)
House calls: the impact of home-based care for older adults with Alzheimer’s and dementia
- Authors:
- WILSON Kasey, BACHMAN Sara S.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Health Care, 54(6), 2015, pp.547-558.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Older adults with Alzheimer’s/dementia have high health care costs; they may benefit from home-based care, but few have home visits. This article describes a home-based care programme for frail elders, including those with Alzheimer’s/dementia. Descriptive statistics are provided for Medicare-enrolled programme participants and matched controls with Alzheimer’s/dementia on expenditures along six services: skilled nursing facility, inpatient acute, physician, home health, hospice, and social services. Cases with dementia were significantly more likely to have home health and hospice expenditures than controls, suggesting potential for the program to improve end-of-life care. Very few cases or controls had any social service expenditures. Social workers should advocate for the expanded role of home-based care for older adults with dementia and for increased Medicare reimbursement of social work services. (Edited publisher abstract)
Unmet home care service needs of rural older adults with Alzheimer's disease: a perspective of informal caregivers
- Authors:
- LI Hong, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 55(5), July 2012, pp.409-425.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
A majority of rural older adults with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) live at home and are cared for by informal caregivers. Services designed to assist older adults and their caregivers, such as meals-on-wheels and in-home personal care, may be less accessible in rural communities. The aim of this study was to assess the unmet service needs of rural older adults with AD and to identify factors that were related to these needs. Data were collected during in-depth telephone interviews conducted with 109 informal caregivers of AD patients in central Illinois. The findings indicated that over half of the patients experienced unmet service needs in 1 or more areas of activities of daily functioning. Informal caregiver burden and patient's gender and functional status were significantly related to patients' unmet service needs. Patients' use of formal services was marginally related to their unmet service needs. The article concludes that a comprehensive needs assessment should be conducted with both patients and their caregivers in order to better address patients' service needs.
Why we're at home with the SPECAL method
- Author:
- ELKINS Zoe
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Dementia Care, 19(4), July 2011, pp.22-24.
- Publisher:
- Hawker
The Good Care Group is a professional provider of live-in care for elderly people in England. It uses the SPECAL method (Specialized Early Care for Alzheimer's) as the foundation of its care for people with dementia living in their own homes. In this article, the Group's Head of Care explains the method and how it is used. The article covers key elements of the SPECAL method (which uses intact memories to assist in creating a feeling of well-being and includes detailed observational tracking), training for staff, how the method works at different stages of dementia, and the role of family. It notes the importance of bridge building with a person living with dementia, and advocates that caregivers follow the SPECAL golden rules: do not contradict, avoid direct questions, look for cues from the expert (the person with dementia), welcome repetition, and defuse situations. It argues that despite the controversy associated with the SPECAL method approach, it can provide real benefits to individuals with dementia, including being able to remain at home.
Beliefs and practices regarding Alzheimer's disease and related dementias among Filipino home care workers in Israel
- Author:
- AYALON Liat
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 13(3), May 2009, pp.456-462.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
In the past few decades, foreign home care to frail older adults has become a common alternative to family care in many developed countries. Whereas Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are common conditions in this population of frail older adults, little is known about the beliefs of foreign home care workers about ADRD or about their practices. A mixed-methods design was conducted in 2006-2007 in Israel. The study included a survey of beliefs about ADRD completed by 184 Filipino home care workers and qualitative interviews with 29 Filipino home care workers. On seven of the 14 belief items, more than 30% of the workers were in discordance with scientific view about ADRD. Those workers who were not informed about the care recipient's medical conditions were more likely to report beliefs that were inconsistent with current scientific knowledge. In qualitative interviews, Filipino home care workers reported using intuitively behavioural techniques when caring for older adults with ADRD. Despite the fact that some of the workers' beliefs are inconsistent with current scientific view, their actual intuitive practices are consistent with the scientific paradigm. Specific emphasis has to be placed on encouraging workers' intuitive approach to ADRD and providing workers with ample information about the medical conditions and needs of the care recipient.
Patients with Lewy body dementia use more resources than those with Alzheimer's disease
- Authors:
- BOSTROM Fredrik, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 22(8), August 2007, pp.713-719.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The purpose of this study was to compare resource use and costs in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to assess determinants of costs of care in DLB. Thirty-four patients with DLB were included in a cross-sectional study. The patients were matched with respect to age, gender and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score to 34 patients with AD. Both groups were examined using Resource Utilisation in Dementia (RUD Lite), MMSE and the Neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI). The DLB patients were additionally examined using the Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale (DAD). Costs of care in patients suffering from DLB was on average 348,000 SEK (37,500 Euros) per year compared to 169,000 SEK (18,200 Euros) in the AD group. Within the DLB group, care costs correlated significantly with dependency in instrumental activities of daily living measured with DAD, whereas MMSE and NPI were not significantly correlated to resource use in the DLB group. The study concludes DLB patients use more resources, and are more costly than AD patients. Dependency in instrumental activities of daily living is strongly correlated to resource use in DLB patients.