Exploring the Relationship Between Smartphone GPS Patterns and Quality of Life in Patients With Advanced Cancer and Their Family Caregivers: Longitudinal Study.

Background: Patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers often experience poor quality of life (QOL). Self-report measures are commonly used to quantify QOL of family caregivers but may have limitations such as recall bias and social desirability bias. Variables derived from passively obtained smartphone GPS data are a novel approach to measuring QOL that may overcome these limitations and enable detection of early signs of mental and physical health (PH) deterioration.

Factors associated with care-resistant behavior in the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center's Uniform Data Set.

Introduction: Little is known about the factors associated with care-resistant behavior in community-dwelling persons living with dementia.

Methods: Regression modeling was performed on 41,143 responses to a standardized questionnaire from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center's Uniform Data Set.

Results: In the fully adjusted mixed-effects regression model, collinearity was low, with no variance inflation factor above 1.

Lessons from a Pilot Study of a Culturally Tailored Financial Well-Being Intervention Among Latino Family Caregivers.

This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05292248).

Care-Resistant Behavior Trajectories During Mouth Care Among Nursing Home Residents With Dementia.

Background And Objectives: This study examined day-to-day variation in care-resistant behaviors (CRBs) exhibited by persons living with dementia during mouth healthcare and the potential influence of time of day on CRB trajectories.

Research Design And Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted on a sample of 75 nursing home-dwelling persons living with dementia who exhibited CRBs during mouth care activities. Over 21 days, CRBs were measured using the revised Resistiveness to Care scale (RTC-r) during morning and afternoon mouth care sessions.

The Daily Experiences of Hispanic and Latinx Dementia Caregivers Study: Protocol for a Fully Remote Daily Diary Observational Cohort Study.

Background: The Hispanic and Latinx community is disproportionately affected by Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRDs). In the United States, approximately 8.5 million caregivers of individuals with ADRDs identify as Hispanic and Latinx people, and caregiving-related stress and burden place caregivers at elevated risk for poor mental health outcomes, as well as loneliness and social isolation.

Patient Portal Use Among Family Caregivers of Individuals With Dementia and Cancer: Regression Analysis From the National Study of Caregiving.

Background: Family caregivers are often inexperienced and require information from clinic visits to effectively provide care for patients. Despite reported deficiencies, 68% of health systems facilitate sharing information with family caregivers through the patient portal. The patient portal is especially critical in the context of serious illnesses, like advanced cancer and dementia, where caregiving is intense and informational needs change over the trajectory of disease progression.

Family Caregiver Comfort with Telehealth Technologies: Differences by Race and Ethnicity in a Cross-Sectional Survey.

Telehealth has seen widespread use since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 82% patients required assistance in accessing their telehealth appointments. This assistance commonly comes from a family caregiver who may or may not be comfortable using the technologies associated with telehealth. The objective of our study was to analyze a demographically representative survey of U.

Resilience in the context of dementia family caregiver mental health: A concept analysis.

Resilience has been identified as a key concept for dementia family caregiver mental health; however, the concept is not well defined. A concept analysis examining dementia caregiver resilience was conducted using Rodger's Evolutionary Method. The aim of this concept analysis was to describe the historical perspective, attributes, antecedents, and consequences of resilience as it relates to dementia caregiver mental health.

Family caregiver roles and challenges in assisting patients with cancer treatment decision-making: Analysis of data from a national survey.

Background: We aimed to describe the roles and challenges of family caregivers involved in patients' cancer treatment decision-making.

Methods: Family caregiver-reported data were analyzed from a national survey conducted in the United States by CancerCare® (2/2021-7/2021). Four select-all-that-apply caregiver roles were explored: (1) observer (patient as primary decision-maker); (2) primary decision-maker; (3) shared decision-maker with patient and (4) decision delegated to healthcare team.

Relapse Prevention and Prediction Strategies in Substance Use Disorder: A Scoping Review.

Background: Relapse prevention for those with substance use disorder (SUD) is an evolving practice. Initiatives focused on relapse prevention from other populations may provide the foundation for future considerations and recommendations for recovering anesthesia providers in the workplace. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine what is known about return-to-use prediction and prevention strategies in various populations struggling with SUDs to inform future considerations and implications for recovering anesthesia providers with a history of SUD.

Using digital phenotyping to understand health-related outcomes: A scoping review.

Background: Digital phenotyping may detect changes in health outcomes and potentially lead to proactive measures to mitigate health declines and avoid major medical events. While health-related outcomes have traditionally been acquired through self-report measures, those approaches have numerous limitations, such as recall bias, and social desirability bias. Digital phenotyping may offer a potential solution to these limitations.

Tools for Screening and Measuring Anxiety Among Women Living with HIV of Reproductive Age: A Scoping Review.

Emerging evidence suggests that women living with HIV (WLWH) may experience higher rates of anxiety than men living with HIV and women living without HIV. To date, relatively little knowledge exists on valid anxiety screening and diagnostic tools and how they are used among WLWH, specifically WLWH of reproductive age. Thus, the purpose of this scoping review was to describe what is known in the published literature about anxiety among WLWH and the tools used to measure and screen for anxiety in clinical and research contexts.

Does Olfactory Training Improve Brain Function and Cognition? A Systematic Review.

Olfactory training (OT), or smell training,consists of repeated exposure to odorants over time with the intended neuroplastic effect of improving or remediating olfactory functioning. Declines in olfaction parallel declines in cognition in various pathological conditions and aging. Research suggests a dynamic neural connection exists between olfaction and cognition.

The relationship between daily stressors, social support, depression and anxiety among dementia family caregivers: a micro-longitudinal study.

This study aimed to examine the relationships between daily stress, social support, and the mental health of dementia family caregivers. A national sample of family caregivers ( = 165) completed daily diary surveys over 21 days ( = 2,841). Mixed-level models were used to examine the daily odds of experiencing depression and anxiety-related symptoms when risk factors, such as the stress of managing behavioral symptoms of dementia (BSDs) exhibited by the person living with dementia, and protective factors, such as social support, were reported on a given day.

Bias reported by family caregivers in support received when assisting patients with cancer-related decision-making.

Background: Family caregivers play an increasing role in cancer treatment decision-making. We examined bias reported by family caregivers in the support they and their patient received from their healthcare team when making these decisions, including associations with distress.

Methods: Analysis of 2021 national survey data of family caregivers of patients with cancer (N = 2703).

Risk Factors of Cognitive Decline in Older Caregivers With HIV: An Emerging Hypothesis.

People with HIV (PWH) are living longer and healthier lives; thanks to combination antiretroviral therapy. As many PWH age, they find themselves providing care to family members and friends, just as their counterparts without HIV. The literature indicates that becoming a caregiver creates conditions that compromise one's cognitive function.

The Project ENABLE Cornerstone randomized controlled trial: study protocol for a lay navigator-led, early palliative care coaching intervention for African American and rural-dwelling advanced cancer family caregivers.

Background: Family caregivers play a vital, yet stressful role in managing the healthcare needs and optimizing the quality of life of patients with advanced cancer, from the time they are newly diagnosed until end of life. While early telehealth palliative care has been found to effectively support family caregivers, little work has focused on historically under-resourced populations, particularly African American and rural-dwelling individuals. To address this need, we developed and are currently testing Project ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends) Cornerstone, a lay navigator-led, early palliative care coaching intervention for family caregivers of African American and rural-dwelling patients with newly diagnosed advanced cancer.

Early Stages of COVID-19 Pandemic Had No Discernable Impact on Risk of Elder Abuse and Neglect Among Dementia Family Caregivers: A Daily Diary Study.

Unlabelled: There is widespread concern that elder abuse and neglect (EAN) incidents increased during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic due in part to increases in risk factors. Initial reports relying on administrative systems such as adult protective services records produced mixed results regarding whether or not there was a change in EAN incidents. Using data from an ongoing longitudinal study on EAN in dementia family caregiving that started before the pandemic, we assessed the hypothesis that the pandemic is related to a change in probability of EAN and EAN protective factors.

Gender Differences in Caregiver Burden Among Family Caregivers of Persons With Dementia.

The current study aimed to identify gender-dependent factors that influence caregiver burden among family caregivers of persons with dementia through secondary data analysis. We used a nationally representative survey of 379 family caregivers of persons with dementia completed in 2014. We examined factors affecting the burden experience of male and female caregivers, guided by the stress process model, using hierarchical regression.

Multi-sample assessment of stress reactivity as a mediator between childhood adversity and mid- to late-life outcomes.

Objectives: We examined whether adult stress reactivity accounts for the relationship between early life adversity (ELA) and psychological, physical, and cognitive outcomes.

Methods: We examined the relationship between ELA, stress reactivity, psychological well-being, physical health, and cognitive function in two separate datasets - a cross-sectional community sample of older adults ( = 510) aged 60 and older, and waves I-III of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) dataset. Age, sex, and income served as covariates in all analyses.

Daily Context for Abusive and Neglectful Behavior in Family Caregiving for Dementia.

Background And Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify risk and protective factors for abusive and neglectful behavior in the context of daily caregiving.

Research Design And Methods: Family caregivers who co-reside with a care recipient with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia, recruited from social media, completed 21-days of diaries. Multilevel modeling with days (n = 831) nested within caregivers (N = 50) was used to evaluate relationships between hypothesized risk and protective factors and the odds of an abusive or neglectful behavior on a given day.

Transitioning into the caregiver role following a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or related dementia: A scoping review.

Objectives: To identify experiences, needs, interventions and outcomes for caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia as they transition into this new role following diagnosis.

Design: Scoping review of published literature.

Data Sources: A search for published articles was conducted in PsycINFO, Scopus, Ovid and Web of Science databases.

Advancing Care for Family Caregivers of persons with dementia through caregiver and community partnerships.

Background: There are currently 15 million Americans who provide over 80% of the care required by their family members with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Yet care for caregivers continues to be fragmented and few evidence-based interventions have been translated into routine clinical care and therefore remain inaccessible to most family caregivers. To address this gap, the Caring for the Caregiver program is being developed at UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing to improve support services and health outcomes for family caregivers.