"Time is a Big Factor": Aged-Care Workforce Perspectives on Communication Partner Training for Working With Residents With Dementia.

Many individuals who reside in permanent residential aged care (RAC) have a diagnosis of dementia, with the majority experiencing a communication disorder. Existing literature has placed an emphasis on the need for staff to undertake communication partner training. This study aimed to investigate the preferences of RAC staff, and their perceived barriers and facilitators to workplace training.

Advocating the rights of people with dementia to contribute to research: Considerations for researchers and ethics committees.

Objective: Research involving people with dementia is vital to appropriately inform policy and practice decisions affecting this population. As dementia-care researchers, we frequently advocate to Human Research Ethics Committees for the right of people with dementia to choose whether to participate in research. This brief report provides some considerations for researchers and ethics committees.

Effect of fenfluramine on convulsive seizures in CDKL5 deficiency disorder.

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is an X-linked pharmacoresistant neurogenetic disorder characterized by global developmental delays and uncontrolled seizures. Fenfluramine (FFA), an antiseizure medication (ASM) indicated for treating convulsive seizures in Dravet syndrome, was assessed in six patients (five female; 83%) with CDD whose seizures had failed 5-12 ASMs or therapies. Median age at enrollment was 6.

Risk Factors for Mortality in an Older Veteran Population With infective Endocarditis.

Objective: To determine 30-day and 1-year mortality in patients treated for infective endocarditis (IE) in a VA population. The secondary objective was to identify risk factors for increased risk of mortality in veterans diagnosed with IE.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Measuring the interactions of people with dementia and their conversation partners: a preliminary adaption of the Kagan measures of support and participation in conversation.

Objective: While dementia can negatively affect communication, positive interactions can be facilitated by the conversation partners of people with dementia. There are few assessment tools designed to evaluate the support provided by the conversation partner and the resulting participation of the person with dementia. This study reports on an adaptation of the Measure of Support in Conversation (MSC) and Measure of Participation in Conversation (MPC) scales for use with people with dementia and their conversation partners (the MSC Dementia and MPC Dementia, respectively) and investigates the inter-and intra-rater reliability of these adapted measures.

Pharmacotherapy with sertraline rescues brain development and behavior in a mouse model of CDKL5 deficiency disorder.

Mutations in the X-linked cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) gene cause a severe neurodevelopmental disorder, CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD). CDKL5 is fundamental for correct brain development and function, but the molecular mechanisms underlying aberrant neurologic dysfunction in CDD are incompletely understood. Here we show a dysregulation of hippocampal and cortical serotonergic (5-HT) receptor expression in heterozygous Cdkl5 knockout (KO) female mice, suggesting that impaired 5-HT neurotransmission contributes to CDD.

Conversational trouble and repair in dementia: Revision of an existing coding framework.

A decline in the effectiveness of everyday conversation is often observed for people with dementia. This study explored conversational trouble and repair between people with dementia residing in residential care and professional care staff. The aim was to examine the utility of an existing conversational trouble and repair framework by Watson, Carter and Chenery (1999) in a comparatively larger sample.

Hear-Communicate-Remember: Feasibility of delivering an integrated intervention for family caregivers of people with dementia and hearing impairment via telehealth.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of Hear-Communicate-Remember, a training programme developed for family caregivers of people with dementia and hearing impairment that integrated hearing, communication and memory strategies, which was intended to be delivered via telehealth.

Materials And Methods: Participants included six dyads consisting of adults with dementia and hearing impairment and their family caregivers. Data collection involved a combination of semi-structured interviews, self-report questionnaires and field notes.

Toward the Development of SMART Communication Technology: Automating the Analysis of Communicative Trouble and Repair in Dementia.

Background And Objectives: Communication difficulties have been reported as one of the most stress-inducing aspects of caring for people with dementia. Notably, with disease progression comes an increase in the frequency of communication difficulty and a reduction in the effectiveness of attempts to remedy breakdowns in communication. The aim of the current research was to evaluate the utility of an automated discourse analysis tool (i.

Voice Outcome Measures for Adult Patients With Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) typically results in marked changes in voice quality and performance and has a significant impact on quality of life. Treatment approaches generally aim to restore glottal closure for phonation and improve vocal function. There are a wide range of voice outcome measures that are available to measure the treatment effect.

Identification of risk factors for failure in patients with skin and soft tissue infections.

Purpose: The purpose was to determine significant predictors of treatment failure of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) in the inpatient and outpatient setting.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients treated between January 1, 2005 to July 1, 2016 with ICD-9 or ICD-10 code of cellulitis or abscess. The primary outcome was failure defined as an additional prescription or subsequent hospital admission within 30 days of treatment.

Is it all bleak? A systematic review of factors contributing to relationship change in dementia.

Unlabelled: ABSTRACTBackground:The care of community-dwelling people with dementia often occurs in the context of pre-existing family relationships. The presence of dementia can result in changes to the quality of those relationships. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify factors that enhance or challenge the quality of spousal or offspring relationships in the context of dementia.

Speech-Language Pathologist Interventions for Communication in Moderate-Severe Dementia: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the evidence for direct and indirect interventions for communication in people with moderate-severe dementia.

Method: A systematic search of the literature was conducted, as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysed guidelines, across 8 electronic databases. Studies were included if they included direct or indirect interventions, which could be administered by a speech-language pathologist to people with moderate-severe dementia (defined as having Mini-Mental State Examination of ≤ 15; Folstein, Folstein, & McHugh, 1975).

Proper Antibiotic Use in a Home-Based Primary Care Population Treated for Urinary Tract Infections.

Objective: To evaluate the trends associated with diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI) in a home-based primary care population of Veterans Health System patients from 2006 to 2015.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Veterans Healthcare System.

Fluoroquinolone-Related Neuropsychiatric Events in Hospitalized Veterans.

Objective: To measure the incidence and risk factors for fluoroquinolone (ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and levofloxacin)-associated psychosis or delirium in a veteran population.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in the Western New York Veterans Affairs Health System (2005-2013). Participants were hospitalized veterans receiving a fluoroquinolone for at least 48 hours (n = 631).

Impact of Penicillin Allergy on Time to First Dose of Antimicrobial Therapy and Clinical Outcomes.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a listed penicillin allergy on the time to first dose of antibiotic in a Veterans Affairs hospital. Additional clinical outcomes of patients with penicillin allergies were compared with those of patients without a penicillin allergy.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of veterans admitted through the emergency department with a diagnosis of pneumonia, urinary tract infection, bacteremia, and sepsis from January 2006 to December 2015 was conducted.

Decreased mortality in patients prescribed vancomycin after implementation of antimicrobial stewardship program.

Background: The impact of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) on 30-day mortality rates was evaluated in patients prescribed vancomycin in a Veterans Affairs hospital.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients receiving a minimum of 48 hours of vancomycin during October 2006-July 2014. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors of mortality.

Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy in pediatric patients enrolled in a prospective, open-label clinical study with cannabidiol.

Recent clinical trials indicate that cannabidiol (CBD) may reduce seizure frequency in pediatric patients with certain forms of treatment-resistant epilepsy. Many of these patients experience significant impairments in quality of life (QOL) in physical, mental, and social dimensions of health. In this study, we measured the caregiver-reported Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy (QOLCE) in a subset of patients enrolled in a prospective, open-label clinical study of CBD.

Obesity and Heart Failure as Predictors of Failure in Outpatient Skin and Soft Tissue Infections.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate risk factors for failure of antibiotic treatment within 30 days for uncomplicated skin infections of outpatients treated in a Veterans Affairs hospital. A retrospective chart review of outpatients between January 2006 and July 2015 with an ICD-9 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) code of cellulitis or abscess was included in the analysis. The primary outcome was success versus failure of the antibiotic, with failure defined as another antibiotic prescribed or hospitalization within 30 days for the original indication.

Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis: A Systematic Review of Speech-Language Pathology Management.

Objectives: Dysphonia due to unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) can be characterized by hoarseness and weakness, resulting in a significant impact on patients' activity and participation. Voice therapy provided by a speech-language pathologist is designed to maximize vocal function and improve quality of life. The purpose of this paper is to systematically review literature surrounding the effectiveness of speech-language pathology intervention for the management of UVFP in adults.

Review of Safety and Efficacy of Sleep Medicines in Older Adults.

Purpose: Insomnia is problematic for older adults. After behavioral modifications fail to show adequate response, pharmacologic options are used. The pharmacokinetics of agents used to treat insomnia may be altered.

A case report on the efficacy of vigabatrin analogue (1S, 3S)-3-amino-4-difluoromethylenyl-1-cyclopentanoic acid (CPP-115) in a patient with infantile spasms.

West Syndrome is characterized by infantile spasms, a hypsarrhythmic electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern, and a poor neurodevelopmental prognosis. First-line treatments include adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and vigabatrin, but adverse effects often limit their use. CPP-115 is a high-affinity vigabatrin analogue developed to increase therapeutic potency and to limit retinal toxicity.