Assesses variables associated with increased severity of depressive symptoms among 321 informal caregivers of demented subjects living in the community identified by a Canadian national population-based survey. Measures included patient and caregiver demographics variables, patient behavioral disturbance, activities of daily living and cognitive…

Purpose: We sought to determine the prevalence of remediable health conditions from in-home geriatric assessments of referred adult protective service (APS) clients suffering elder mistreatment. Design and Methods: We used a retrospective cohort study of 211 APS clients (74% female; age, M = 77 years) in two central New Jersey counties. Results:…

Huntington disease is a dominantly inherited, neurodegenerative disease characterized by choreiform movement disturbances and dementia, usually with adult onset. The rare juvenile-onset Huntington disease differs from the adult phenotype. A case presenting twice, at age 10 with all the signs of a major depression and age 14 with mutism and…

Purpose: This study developed and tested two 24-month primary care interventions to alleviate the psychological distress suffered by the caregivers of those with Alzheimer's disease. The interventions, using targeted educational materials, were patient behavior management only, and patient behavior management plus caregiver stress-coping…

Recent studies on awareness have drawn attention to the fact that aphasia is a little known disorder to the public, in spite of all the publicity about this frequently occurring neurogenic language disorder. Being a very new concept, studies of awareness are rare in Turkey. This survey study assessed the extent of public awareness of neurological…

Behavioral interventions based on operant principles are commonly attempted to manage agitation in older adults with dementia. The extent to which operant conditioning can occur in persons with particular dementias, however, is unclear. The present study involved use of a button-pressing task to evaluate the sensitivity of the responding of older…

Purpose: Residential care/assisted living facilities have become an alternative to nursing homes for many individuals, yet little information exists about staffing in these settings and the effect of staffing. This study analyzed the intensity and skill mix of nursing staff using data from a four-state study, and their relationship to outcomes.…

Purpose: This article presents an overview of what is known about dementia services in assisted living settings and suggests areas for future research. Design and Methods: We undertook a search of Medline, the "Journals of Gerontology," and "The Gerontologist." We then organized publications dealing with the target subject into 10 topic areas and…

Thompson reviews the 2006 book by Pauline Boss. Loss is a word that is used frequently to describe numerous life events. In its most apparent state, loss is experienced through the physical death of someone who was once spiritually, psychologically, and physically near. However, ambiguous loss may also occur, when a central person remains present…

Purpose: A national quality report card for nursing homes, Nursing Home Compare, has been published since 2002. It has been shown to have some, albeit limited, positive impact on quality of care. The objective of this study was to test empirically the hypothesis that nursing homes have responded to the publication of the report by adopting cream…

Varied the reported age of patients (N=36) presented to clinicians for diagnosis. Results indicated the presence of a bias, with a greater attributon of organic symptoms reflective of senile dementia and fewer judgments of depression when a patient is described as elderly as opposed to middle-aged. (LLL)

Maintains that graphic skills may reveal a dementia process in progress. Describes a simple, nonverbal screening method, tested on 1,500 aged subjects, which uses geometric copying, handwriting, and freehand figure drawing to screen for social and/or cognitive disorders. Shows that these graphic skills drop in a prescribed order with decreasing…

Notes that social workers face new challenges in meeting changing service needs of people with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Discusses San Francisco's efforts to serve people with AIDS who are suffering from AIDS-related cognitive impairments that range from mild cognitive disturbance to moderate and severe AIDS dementia complex…

Guides social work practice in assessment of dementia patients and their families using ecological-family-centered (EFC) model of practice. Case presentation illustrates how to apply ECF model while incorporating ethnically sensitive practice principles. Reviews literature on families of dementia patients, outlines intervention plan for family…

Examines whether the role of caregiving appraisal explains why stressors in the caregiving situation affect caregivers' psychological distress. Results show that for spouse caregivers, perceived pressure explains the association between their caregiving tasks and psychological distress. Results also show clear mediator effects of perceived…