Sense of community in long-term care: the views of family caregivers of elderly military veterans.

Background: Family involvement in long-term care (LTC) is important but it can prove challenging and result in conflict with staff if families do not feel connected to the LTC facility or if they believe that their contributions are undervalued. According to McMillan & Chavis (1986), sense of community (SOC) refers to a feeling of belonging, having influence, having needs met, and having an emotional connection to individuals in a community, and may be particularly essential for family caregivers of military veterans in LTC. This is the first study that evaluates SOC among family caregivers in LTC.

Frontotemporal dementia and pharmacologic interventions.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration is comprised of three syndromes: frontotemporal dementia (FTD), semantic dementia, and progressive nonfluent aphasia, with FTD being the most prevalent. FTD is characterized predominantly by character change and disordered social conduct. A variety of pathologies may underlie these syndromes, yet it is the location of the pathology rather than the type that dictates the clinical features of the disease.