Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Factors Influencing Surrogate End-Of-Life Healthcare Decision-Making For A Family Member With Alzheimer's Disease, Sharlene Toney

Nursing Dissertations (PhD)

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a chronic terminal disease, progressively impairs cognitive function resulting in deterioration of intellect, memory, and personality. With disease progression, the surrogate decision-maker becomes more involved in intervention choices and end-of-life (EOL) care, which may or may not be based on patients’ wishes or best practice guidelines. Yet surrogate decision outcomes involve important issues of medical futility, quality of life and death. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence surrogate health care decision-making for a family member during the terminal stage of AD. A descriptive, predictive design was used to address the research questions: …

Evaluation Of A Telephone-Based Support Group Intervention For Female Caregivers Of Community-Dwelling Individuals With Dementia, Laraine Winter, Laura N. Gitlin

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

Family caregivers, the "second victims" or hidden patients in dementia care, are at risk for social isolation, stress, depression, and mortality. Telephone-based support (telesupport groups) represents a practical, low-burden, low-cost source of emotional support. The present study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of professionally led telephone-based support groups for female family caregivers of community-dwelling dementia patients. Recruited through various community sources, 103 female caregivers were randomized to the telesupport group treatment or a control condition. Effects on caregiver burden, depression, and personal gains were evaluated at 6 months, the main end point. Older caregivers (≥65) in telesupport reported lower depression …

Community Mobility And Dementia: A Review Of The Literature, Nina M. Silverstein, Megan Vanderbur

Gerontology Institute Publications

By the year 2030, 70 million Americans will be 65 or older. Approximately 80 percent of this population will likely be driving themselves. And without appropriate and timely interventions, many are likely to be driving with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Current estimates suggest that 2 percent of the population 65 to 74, 19 percent of the population 75 to 84, and 47 percent of the population 85 and older are likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder. By the year 2050, the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease could range from 11.3 million to 16 million. This significant …

2005 Dementia Conference Attracts Record Turn Out

CenterPieces

The 6th annual Dementia Management Conference - "New Directions in Providing Care to Patients and their Families" - was held on February 4, 2005 in the Bluemle Auditorium. This successful conference was co-sponsored by the Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and the Farber Institute for Neurosciences. In attendance were over 115 health care professionals, including physicians, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, social workers, researchers, and family members.

Attendees had the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of a panel of nationally recognized experts in the field of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. …

Mild Cognitive Impairment, Activity Participation, Functional Difficulty, & Adaptations , Laraine Winter, Laura N. Gitlin

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Mild Cognitive Impairment, Activity Participation, Functional Difficulty, And Adaptations In Functionally Vulnerable Elderly People: A Closer Look, Laraine Winter, Laura N. Gitlin

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Structural Mri Discriminates Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment From Age-Matched Controls: A Combined Neuropsychological And Voxel Based Morphometry Study, Mehul A. Trivedi, Allison K. Wichmann, Britta M. Torgerson, Michael A. Ward, Taylor W. Schmitz, Michele L. Ries, Rebecca L. Koscik, Sanjay Asthana, Sterling C. Johnson

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Background: Several previous studies have reported that amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a significant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), is associated with greater atrophy in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG). Method: In the present study, we examined the cross-sectional accuracy (i.e., the sensitivity and specificity) of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in discriminating individuals with MCI (n = 15) from healthy age-matched controls (n = 15). In addition, we also sought to determine whether baseline GM volume predicted aMCI patients that converted to AD from those that did not approximately 2 years after the baseline visit. …

Effects Of Psychoeducational Program On Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, And Psychological Stress Of Caregivers Of Patients With Alzheimer's Disease, P. Lueboonthavatchai, N. Thavichachart

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

No abstract provided.