Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Spousal relationships in which one partner has early cognitive problems
- Author:
- PRAKKE Helena M.
- Journal article citation:
- Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 11(2), March 2012, pp.199-215.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This literature review was undertaken to provide an overview of research on the lived experiences of elderly spousal dyads, in which one partner has early cognitive problems. Nineteen core studies were identified. It appears that couples first experience forgetfulness as something normal for old age. However, if symptoms become too great, the dyad will go and search for meaning. Through medical assessment the affected spouse will be diagnosed as either non-demented or demented. Both situations are experienced as hard and worrisome. Even if diagnosed with non-dementia, the dyad remains confused about what is going on and how to anticipate the future. In spite of the enormous impact of early cognitive problems on the relationship, both partners still seem able to contribute to the quality of it and have few reciprocity issues. How couples differ and what this means for the experience of early cognitive problems remains largely unexplored. No prospective research was found about spousal couples living with cognitive problems before assessment and diagnosis. Studies that looked at this period generally did so retrospectively and paid little attention to the individuality of the relationship.
The prevalence and phenomenology of psychotic symptoms in dementia sufferers
- Authors:
- BALLARD C.G., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 10(6), June 1995, pp.477-485.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
One hundred patients referred to old age psychiatry services in the West Midlands and 25 patients referred to a memory clinic in Bristol with mild to moderate dementia were assessed using the GMS/HAS schedule together with a detailed inventory to assess their psychotic symptoms. On careful evaluation one patient did not have dementia. Eighty-three of the other 124 patients (66%) had a least one psychotic symptom. The frequencies of individual psychotic symptoms are described in the text.
Sporting memories & the social inclusion of older people experiencing mental health problems
- Authors:
- CLARK Michael, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 19(4), 2015, pp.202-211.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: Social exclusion and isolation of older people and their mental health are likely to be more significant, interlinked issues for society as countries experience an ageing demographic profile. The authors urgently need to identify effective ways of addressing these challenges that can be easily mobilised to meet diverse needs in different settings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of sporting memories (SM) work as one approach to help meet this need. This SM work entails the use of sports-based reminiscence to engage with older people experiencing mental health problems. To date this has especially focused on people living with dementia in institutional and in community settings. Design/methodology/approach: The paper sets out the SM idea and discusses lessons learnt from case studies of its application to meet the inclusion and mental health needs of different older people in institutional and community settings. Findings: The evidence from the application of SM work to date is that it is an effective and flexible means of engaging people to improve their social inclusion and mental well-being. It can be readily deployed in various care and community settings. Research limitations/implications: The evidence to date is of case studies of the use of SM work, and, although these are now extensive case studies, further research is needed on the costs and impacts of SM work. Practical implications: SM work is a flexible and readily adoptable intervention to engage older people and help improve their social inclusion and mental well-being. Social implications: SM work can be an important part of meeting some of the challenges society faces with an ageing population profile. Originality/value: This is the first paper to set out the SM work. (Publisher abstract)
Burden associated with the presence of anosognosia in Alzheimer's disease
- Authors:
- TURRÓ-GARRIGA Oriol, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 28(3), 2013, pp.291-297.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Anosognosia, a lack of deficit awareness, can appear in patients in the early stages of dementia, significantly disrupting their environment and increasing care giver burden. The object of this cross-sectional study was to determine the relationship between anosognosia and caregiver burden, both overall and in relation to specific dimensions of their burden. Anosognosia was evaluated using the Experimenter Rating Scale, and caregiver burden evaluated using the Burden Interview (BI). Using the BI's comprehensive scoring and each of its five factors as dependent variables, six linear regression models were adjusted to determine the effect of anosognosia on caregiver burden. The sample consisted of 124 Spanish patients and 124 caregivers. The mean patient age was 78.9 years; the mean caregiver age was 59.7 years; 66.6% of the caregivers were women. The prevalence of anosognosia was 24.2%. The degree of caregiver burden was associated with the degree of anosognosia, which explained 14.7% of the variance. For the BI factors, the Experimenter Rating Scale was associated with physical and social burden, relationship of dependence and emotional stress. It is concluded that the presence of anosognosia in patients with AD is an independent factor that increases caregiver burden by increasing physical wear, social isolation, dependence and tension related to patient care.
The mental health needs of people living in extra care housing
- Authors:
- BROOKER Dawn J., ARGYLE Elaine, CLANCY David
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Care Services Management, 3(3), April 2009, pp.295-309.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Extra care housing is promoted as the best way of providing long-term support for older people. What happens to people if they develop dementia or other mental health problems in these settings is less clear. While promising ‘a home for life’, the reality is that many have to move on to more dependent care facilities if they experience significant problems. This paper reports data from 268 residents in ten extra care housing schemes who were judged by staff teams as being at risk from exclusion because of mental health problems. The sample included three large village schemes (greater than 170 residents) that had opened in the last five years as well as three medium schemes (60–80 residents) and four smaller schemes (under 50 residents). The overall incidence of dementia and depression was difficult to ascertain from records and from staff reports. Formal diagnosis varied substantially across schemes and staff estimates of diagnosis were also variable. Formal assessment of those residents that staff identified as being most at risk, however, showed that they had similar profiles on the Mini Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale, Bristol Activities of Daily Living Schedule and Barthel Inventory, regardless of the size of scheme they lived in. Those in larger village schemes were more likely to share their apartment with a spouse but the majority of people identified as being most vulnerable lived alone. These findings suggest that there is a need to take a proactive approach to people's mental health in extra care housing in order to be serious about maintaining a good quality of life for all within housing schemes.
A 10-item Rasch modeled memory self-efficacy scale
- Authors:
- ZELINSKI E. M., GILEWSKI M. J.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 9(4), July 2004, pp.293-306.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
A 10-item scale to measure memory self-efficacy was developed from responses to the 33-item Frequency of Forgetting scale of the Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ). Responses to the MFQ from 565 participants in the 1994-1995 wave of the Long Beach Longitudinal Study were analyzed. Rasch scaling procedures were used to select items that discriminated individuals' scoring patterns and that provided non-redundant information about responses. A set of 10 items provided a scale that was reliable across items and persons. Female gender, conscientiousness score, depression score, and list recall predicted individual differences in participants' scores on the scale. Age, education, neuroticism, and text recall were also reliably correlated with scores but were suppressed by the other covariates. The shortened test is predicted by the same covariates as the long version, indicating that it has similar construct validity.
Perspectives: gently into the night?
- Author:
- TAYLOR Alison
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 10.6.99, 1999, p.14.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Looks at the creeping destruction of what we understand as "self", inherent in dementia, and asks how the sufferer views the disease's progression.
What are subjective cognitive difficulties and do they matter?
- Authors:
- OPDEBEECK Carol, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Age and Ageing, 48(1), 2019, pp.122-127.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background: Subjective cognitive difficulties (SCD) have been associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. However, there is large variation in the way SCD are assessed and in their associations with cognitive functioning. Objective: To compare the agreement of different SCD measures in identifying people with SCD and to investigate whether SCD are more strongly associated with cognitive functioning, mood, subjective age or background variables. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 206 community-dwelling people aged ≥65. SCD were assessed with individual domain specific questions and a multiple-item scaled measure. Performance on tests of memory, attention, and executive function, and ratings of mood, subjective age and demographic information were recorded. Results: There was some classification overlap between the five measures of SCD, however of the 64 people identified as having SCD, only one person appeared in all five measures of SCD and 34 people were classified by one measure only. There were limited associations between SCD and objective cognition, with more consistent associations with mood and subjective age. Conclusions: Tthe conflicting evidence regarding whether SCD are related to objective cognition and future risk of dementia may be due to different measures of SCD being employed. Careful consideration and standardisation is recommended regarding the cognitive domains and the reference groups for comparison, the response structure and the classification criteria. Longitudinal studies of SCD that include these considerations are needed to clarify the conceptual utility of SCD. (Publisher abstract)
South Asian older adults with memory impairment: improving assessment and access to dementia care
- Authors:
- GIEBE Clarissa M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 30(4), 2015, pp.345-356.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Objective: With increasing international migration, mental health care of migrants and ethnic minorities is a public health priority. South Asian older adults experience difficulties in accessing services for memory impairment, dementia and mental illness. This review examines barriers and facilitators in the pathway to culturally appropriate mental health care. Methods: Web of Knowledge, Pubmed and Ovid databases were searched for literature on South Asian older adults or their family carers, their understandings of mental illness and dementia and their pattern of service use. Dates were from 1984 to 2012. Abstracts were assessed for relevance, followed by detailed reading of salient papers. Three researchers rated the quality of each included study. A narrative synthesis was undertaken of extracted and charted data. Results: Eighteen studies met the eligibility criteria for the review. South Asians and health professionals highlighted several difficulties which deterred help seeking and access to care: a lack of knowledge of dementia and mental illness, and of local services; stigma; culturally preferred coping strategies; and linguistic and cultural barriers in communication and decision making. Conclusions: To improve access for these groups, service users and providers need to be better informed; services need to be more culturally tailored, sometimes employing staff with similar cultural backgrounds; and health professionals can benefit from dementia education and knowledge of local services. These factors are key to the delivery of the National Dementia Strategy in England. (Publisher abstract)
Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) for people with dementia: who benefits most?
- Author:
- AGUIRRE E.
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 28(3), 2013, pp.284-290.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
National guidelines in the UK recommend that cognitive stimulation programmes should be available for people with mild to moderate dementia. However it is not clear what factors might impact on the effectiveness of this intervention. A total of 272 people with dementia (mean age 82.6 years, 61% female) took part in a 7-week CST intervention; 14 sessions lasting 45 minutes. The average attendance was 10 sessions. Half the participants were community dwelling the remainder were recruited from care homes in the south of England. Assessments were carried out pre-treatment and post-treatment (n=236) and the results compared with those of a previous comparable randomised control trial. CST improved cognition and quality of life; the benefits were independent of whether or not people were taking acetylcholinesteraseinhibitor (AChEI) medication. Increasing age was associated with cognitive benefits, as was female gender. Care home residents improved more than community residents in terms of quality of life, but the community sample seemed to benefit more in relation to behaviour problems. The authors conclude that CST improves cognition and quality of life for people with dementia, particularly older female participants. They suggested that consideration should be given to discovering aspects of CST may enhance the benefits for younger men with dementia.