Clinical data from 140 primary caregivers seeking dementia evaluation for family member were analyzed to establish psychometric properties of a caregiver burden screen. Results indicate cutoff values were both sensitive and specific to negative caregiving outcomes. Findings suggest use of burden screen may assist clinicians when assessing adequacy…

Notes that life care communities provide continuum of residential services to the elderly. Describes the provision of on-site psychiatric consultations to 82 individuals residing in one such community. Notes that dementia and major depression were most common diagnoses made. (Author/NB)

Reports on an aspect of a larger project broadly examining the role of language in health care practices. Discusses the effects of dementia on the speech of an aging white Xhosa speaker in the context of a health care institution. Dementia has not been conclusively demonstrated in black Africans. Shows the effects of dementia on the responses…

Preserving the personhood of one's partner emerged as a guiding directive for spouses caring for a partner with dementia. On the basis of data from open-ended interviews with 38 husband and wife caregivers, 4 strategies that facilitate this directive were identified: maintaining continuity, sustaining existing competencies, protecting the partner…

We assessed verb fluency vs. noun and letter-based fluency in 199 subjects referred for cognitive complaints including Subjective Cognitive Impairment, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's disease. ANCOVAs and factor analyses identified verb, noun, and letter-based fluency as distinct tasks. Verb fluency performance in Mild Cognitive…

Purpose: This study adapted the Structural Family Systems Ratings (SFSR), an observational measure of family interactions, for dementia caregivers. This article presents the development of the SFSR-Dementia Caregiver adaptation (SFSR-DC) and examines relationships between specific family-interaction patterns and caregiver distress. Design and…

Purpose: Our objective in this study was to compare Medicare costs of treating older adults with and without dementia in nursing home settings. Design and Methods: An expert panel established the dementia status of a stratified random sample of newly admitted residents in 59 Maryland nursing homes between 1992 and 1995. Medicare expenditures…

Trends in the health status of the entire senior population aged 65 years or older in Manitoba were examined over a 14-year period (1985-1999) using administrative data (about 150,000 individuals). Significant health gains were apparent for a number of important indicators, including acute myocardial infarction, stroke, cancer, and hip fractures,…

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) is among the most widely used depression screening measures. Existing research suggests a higher-order factor structure of responses among older adults (factors labelled "depressive affect," "absence of well-being," "somatic symptoms," and "interpersonal affect," each loading upon a…

The effect of increasing the number of stimuli to be recalled was investigated to evaluate whether sensitivity for memory impairment was enhanced in adults with Down syndrome when using higher task load. Three levels of load were compared across three groups of adults: those with cognitive deterioration, no cognitive deterioration over age 40, and…

Delirium and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated dementia are well recognized neuropsychiatric consequences of HIV infection in adults. Almost nothing is known regarding the management of delirium in HIV-infected children and adolescents. HIV-related progressive encephalopathy is thought to represent the pediatric form of HIV-associated…

Traditionally, the treatment of geriatric patients suffering from Organic Brain Syndrome (OBS) has been characterized by non-therapeutic custodial care. To determine whether elderly clients with dementia can benefit from self-care skill training, and to compare their progress with clients without OBS, 30 clients of the Residential Aging Program in…

Used data from 252 female primary caregivers, their husbands, and children to create family typologies based on the extent of similarities among reports of elder behaviors. Results indicate that families characterized by high agreement and those characterized by low agreement significantly differed from one another. Other findings are reported.…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine group differences in verbal agitation, verbal interaction, bed restraint, pain, analgesic and neuroleptic medication use, and medical comorbidity among agitated nursing home residents who died during a 6-month clinical trial compared with residents of the same gender and similar initial cognitive…

Purpose: This study describes the development and psychometric properties of a 24-item scale to be used in both research and practice settings that assesses the everyday care values and preferences of individuals with cognitive impairment and the perceptions of family caregivers about their relative's values and preferences for care. Design and…