Pilot Study of a Two-Step Delirium Detection Protocol Administered By Certified Nursing Assistants, Physicians, and Registered Nurses.

The feasibility and acceptability of a two-step screening protocol for delirium identification was pilot tested. Step 1, a screening tool, comprises two items: "Please tell me the day of the week," and "Please tell me the months of the year backwards starting with December." If either/both items are incorrect, Step 2, a 3-minute diagnostic assessment, follows.

Real-Time Observation of Apathy in Long-Term Care Residents With Dementia: Reliability of the Person-Environment Apathy Rating Scale.

Apathy is prevalent in individuals with dementia. Lack of responsiveness to environmental stimulation is a key characteristic of apathy. The Person-Environment Apathy Rating (PEAR) scale consists of environment and apathy subscales, which allow for examination of environmental impact on apathy.

Assessing apathy in long-term care residents with dementia: Who should be the rater?

Background:: Apathy is prominent in persons with dementia and apathy assessment is challenging. It remains unclear who should conduct apathy assessments in long-term care settings for residents with moderate to advanced dementia. The Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) is a widely used instrument and its use for long-term care residents with dementia needs to be further established.

Reliability and Validity of the Care Plan Checklist for Evidence of Person-Centered Approaches for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms Associated With Dementia.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Care Plan Checklist for Evidence of Person-Centered Approaches for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms Associated with Dementia (BPSD).

Methods: This study used baseline data from the first cohort of a larger randomized clinical trial testing the implementation of the Evidence of Integration Triangle for BPSD. Fourteen settings volunteered to participate, 8 from Maryland and 6 from Pennsylvania, and a total of 137 residents were recruited.

Subjective cognitive impairment and quality of life: a systematic review.

Background: Older adults with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) experience increased affective symptoms, reduced engagement in a range of activities, as well as more functional problems when compared to those without SCI. These associations suggest that SCI may be detrimental to older adults' quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of the SCI-QoL relationship through a comprehensive review of the empirical literature relating SCI and QoL.

App-based attention training: Incorporating older adults' feedback to facilitate home-based use.

Background: Technology-based attention training programs have demonstrated promise in improving cognitive functioning in older adults.

Aims And Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usability and acceptability of a modified version of a mobile attention training application.

Design: A descriptive, mixed-methods design was used to capture older adults' feedback on the usability and acceptability of the modified attention training application.

Subjective Memory in a National Sample: Predicting Psychological Well-Being.

Background: Individual perception of memory performance (i.e., subjective memory) is assessed using a variety of approaches.

Effects of Support Groups for Individuals with Early-Stage Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: An Integrative Review.

Support groups have demonstrated promising outcomes for individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early-stage dementia (ESD) in previous literature reviews. However, evidence has not been updated since 2007. The current review aimed to update current evidence on the use and effects of support groups for individuals with MCI and ESD and their care partners.

Complement factor H deficiency in aged mice causes retinal abnormalities and visual dysfunction.

Age-related macular degeneration is the most common form of legal blindness in westernized societies, and polymorphisms in the gene encoding complement factor H (CFH) are associated with susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration in more than half of affected individuals. To investigate the relationship between complement factor H (CFH) and retinal disease, we performed functional and anatomical analysis in 2-year-old CFH-deficient (cfh(-/-)) mice. cfh(-/-) animals exhibited significantly reduced visual acuity and rod response amplitudes on electroretinography compared with age-matched controls.

Parkin is a component of an SCF-like ubiquitin ligase complex and protects postmitotic neurons from kainate excitotoxicity.

Mutations in parkin, which encodes a RING domain protein associated with ubiquitin ligase activity, lead to autosomal recessive Parkinson's disease characterized by midbrain dopamine neuron loss. Here we show that parkin functions in a multiprotein ubiquitin ligase complex that includes the F-box/WD repeat protein hSel-10 and Cullin-1. HSel-10 serves to target the parkin ubiquitin ligase activity to cyclin E, an hSel-10-interacting protein previously implicated in the regulation of neuronal apoptosis.