A modified transactional model of stress and coping on depressive symptoms among informal caregivers of persons with dementia.

Informal caregivers are crucial to the care of persons with dementia (PWD), but their role is often reported as challenging. This study aims to examine caregiver stress and depressive symptoms among informal caregivers of PWD using a modified transactional stress and coping model. Path analysis was conducted among a sample of informal caregivers of PWD in Singapore (n = 281) using information on functional dependence and memory and behavioral problems of PWD, and self-reported measurements on caregivers' knowledge of dementia, perceived positive aspects of caregiving, social support, coping patterns, caregiving self-efficacy, caregiving burden and depressive symptoms.

Facilitators and barriers of help-seeking for persons with dementia in Asia-findings from a qualitative study of informal caregivers.

Background And Aim: The deterioration in cognition of persons with dementia (PWD) makes their caregivers key players in their help-seeking process. This study aimed to identify the facilitators and barriers of help-seeking for persons with dementia in Asia from the perspective of their informal caregivers.

Methods: A qualitative methodology was adopted in the current study.

Evaluating a mobile-based intervention to promote the mental health of informal dementia caregivers in Singapore: Study protocol for a pilot two-armed randomised controlled trial.

Background: Informal caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD) often suffer adverse impacts on their mental health and require interventions for effective support. As they are often occupied with providing care, web-based interventions could be more convenient and efficient for them. However, there is currently a dearth of evidence-based mobile interventions to enhance the mental well-being of dementia caregivers locally, especially ones that are user-centered and culturally relevant.

Positive aspects of caregiving among informal caregivers of persons with dementia in the Asian context: a qualitative study.

Background: Positive aspects of caregiving are important coping resources for informal caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD). However, existing studies mostly focused on caregivers from western societies and less attention was paid to the potential cultural differences. This study aims to explore positive aspects of caregiving in the Asian context.

The impact of having foreign domestic workers on informal caregivers of persons with dementia - findings from a multi-method research in Singapore.

Background: Informal caregivers of persons with dementia (PWDs) sometimes engage foreign domestic workers (FDWs) to support their caregiving journey. However, there has not been much research to establish if this is really beneficial. The current study aims to investigate whether engaging FDWs specifically for caregiving of PWDs truly moderates caregiver stress and to explore caregivers' experiences of engaging FDWs.

Combining a variable-centered and a person-centered analytical approach to caregiving burden - a holistic approach.

Background: Informal caregivers of persons with dementia often experience elevated levels of caregiving burden. However, existing studies tend to use a variable-centered approach to explore it. This study aims to understand the caregiving burden of informal caregivers of persons with dementia in Singapore through a combination of variable-centered and person-centered analytical approaches, and explore the correlates of identified factors and latent classes of caregiving burden.

The association between caregiver burden, distress, psychiatric morbidity and healthcare utilization among persons with dementia in Singapore.

Background: Caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD) face high caregiving burden, distress related to responsive behaviours, and psychiatric morbidity. The present paper examines how these are associated with healthcare utilization of the PWD in Singapore.

Methods: The data of 399 caregiver-PWD dyads were extracted from a national cross-sectional survey.

Factors associated with caregiving self-efficacy among primary informal caregivers of persons with dementia in Singapore.

Background: Informal caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD) are often associated with negative health outcomes. Self-efficacy in dementia caregiving has been reported to have protective effects on caregiver's health. This study aims to examine the factors associated with the domains of caregiving self-efficacy among informal caregivers in Singapore, a country with a rapidly aging population and a 10% prevalence of dementia among older adults.

Strategies for the use of Ginkgo biloba extract, EGb 761 , in the treatment and management of mild cognitive impairment in Asia: Expert consensus.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a neurocognitive state between normal cognitive aging and dementia, with evidence of neuropsychological changes but insufficient functional decline to warrant a diagnosis of dementia. Individuals with MCI are at increased risk for progression to dementia; and an appreciable proportion display neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), also a known risk factor for dementia. Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is thought to be an underdiagnosed contributor to MCI/dementia.

Positive aspect of caregiving among primary informal dementia caregivers in Singapore.

Background: The present study investigated the factor structure of positive aspects of caregiving (PAC) scale among primary informal caregivers providing care to persons with dementia (PWD) in Singapore.

Methods: 282 primary informal caregivers of PWD were recruited from the Institute of Mental Health, and Changi General Hospital and administered the 9-item PAC scale. A confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) was conducted to test the model fit of the 9-item PAC proposed by the scale developer and multiple linear regression was used to investigate the significant socio-demographic correlates.

Coping Patterns Among Primary Informal Dementia Caregivers in Singapore and Its Impact on Caregivers-Implications of a Latent Class Analysis.

Background And Objectives: Existing studies typically explore the factor structure of coping strategies among dementia caregivers. However, this approach overlooks the fact that caregivers often use different coping strategies simultaneously. This study aims to explore the coping patterns of primary informal dementia caregivers in Singapore, examine their significant correlates, and investigate whether different patterns would affect the depressive symptoms of caregivers.

A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Caregivers of Community Dwelling Persons with Severe Dementia (PISCES): Study Protocol.

Although many persons with severe dementia (PWSDs) are cared for at home by their family caregivers, few studies have assessed end of life (EOL) care experiences of PWSDs. We present the protocol for the PISCES study (Panel study Investigating Status of Cognitively impaired Elderly in Singapore) which aims to describe the clinical course, health care utilization, and expenditures for community-dwelling PWSDs; and perceived burden, coping, resilience, anticipatory and prolonged grief among their caregivers. This ongoing multi-center prospective longitudinal study is recruiting primary informal caregivers of 250 PWSDs from major restructured public hospitals, community hospitals, home care foundations, and hospices in Singapore.

Dementia knowledge and its demographic correlates amongst informal dementia caregivers in Singapore.

The Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS) is a validated assessment tool to measure dementia knowledge. However, the factor structure of the DKAS has yet to be validated in Singapore. This study aims to investigate the DKAS factor structure amongst a sample of informal dementia caregivers in Singapore, as well as their sociodemographic correlates.

Staging dementia based on caregiver reported patient symptoms: Implications from a latent class analysis.

Background: Tailoring interventions to the needs of caregivers is an important feature of successful caregiver support programs. To improve cost-effectiveness, group tailoring based on the stage of dementia could be a good alternative. However, existing staging strategies mostly depend on trained professionals.

Social support network typologies and their association with dementia and depression among older adults in Singapore: a cross-sectional analysis.

Objectives: To examine the social support network type and its associations with depression and dementia among older adults in Singapore.

Design: This study is a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly study. The Practitioner Assessment of Network Type was used to identify five social support network types.

Treatment of dementia and mild cognitive impairment with or without cerebrovascular disease: Expert consensus on the use of Ginkgo biloba extract, EGb 761.

Background: The Ginkgo biloba special extract, EGb 761 has been widely used in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: To guide clinical practice in the Asian region, the Asian Clinical Expert Group on Neurocognitive Disorders compiled evidence-based consensus recommendations regarding the use of EGb 761 in neurocognitive disorders with/without cerebrovascular disease.

Results: Key randomized trials and robust meta-analyses have demonstrated significant improvement in cognitive function, neuropsychiatric symptoms, activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life with EGb 761 versus placebo in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia.

Person-centred creative dance intervention for persons with dementia living in the community in Singapore.

This paper examines the efficacy of the use of creative dance intervention for persons with mild to moderate dementia, living in the community. Pre- and post-intervention data were collected on the sample of 35 older people to track the impact of the intervention on the domains of function, quality of life and well-being and caregiving stress through the use of the gait speed test, CONFbal scale, Functional Independence Measure, Quality of Life-AD, Dementia Care Mapping and Zarit Burden Interview. There was an overall improvement in all the domains.

Successful ageing in Singapore: prevalence and correlates from a national survey of older adults.

Introduction: The current study aimed to estimate the overall prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of successful ageing, as defined by Rowe and Kahn, among a national sample of multiethnic adults aged 60 years and older in Singapore.

Methods: Data from older adults who participated in the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly study was analysed. Successful ageing was defined with five indicators: no major diseases; no disability; high cognitive functioning; high physical functioning; and active engagement with life.

General Practitioner's Attitudes and Confidence in Managing Patients with Dementia in Singapore.

The number of people living with dementia is increasing globally as a result of an ageing population. General practitioners (GPs), as the front-line care providers in communities, are important stakeholders in the system of care for people with dementia. This commentary describes a study conducted to understand GPs' attitudes and self-perceived competencies when dealing with patients with dementia and their caregivers in Singapore.

Prevalence of stroke, risk factors, disability and care needs in older adults in Singapore: results from the WiSE study.

Objectives: The aims of the present study were to establish the prevalence of stroke, and to explore the association between stroke prevalence and sociodemographic and health factors, disability, cognitive functioning and care needs among older adult residents in Singapore.

Setting: Data were drawn from the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly study-a cross-sectional epidemiological survey conducted from 2012 to 2013 on older adults living in Singapore.

Participants: Participants were Singapore residents (citizens and permanent residents) 60 years and above who were living in Singapore during the survey period .

Training eldercare workers in mental healthcare.

Introduction: A significant proportion of older persons who require support or care services have mental health concerns. There is a need to equip frontline eldercare workers with the necessary skills in caring for older persons with mental illnesses. The Community Psychogeriatric Programme aims to support community eldercare providers with training and consultation.

The relationship among unawareness of memory impairment, depression, and dementia in older adults with memory impairment in Singapore.

Background: Previous research has studied the relationships among unawareness of memory impairment, depression, and dementia in older adults with severe dementia, but it has not considered the associations and clinical implications at earlier stages of memory impairment. This study therefore sought to examine the relationship among unawareness of memory impairment, depression, and dementia in older adults with memory impairment in Singapore.

Methods: The participants were 751 older adults with memory impairment in Singapore.

Comorbid Diabetes and Depression among Older Adults - Prevalence, Correlates, Disability and Healthcare Utilisation.

Introduction: The objectives of this current study were to: 1) examine the prevalence and correlates of diabetes mellitus (DM) among older adults (aged 60 years and above) in a multi-ethnic population; 2) examine the prevalence and correlates of comorbid DM and depression among them; and 3) assess the effect of comorbid depression on disability, cognition and healthcare utilisation.

Materials And Methods: Data for the current study came from the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly (WiSE) study; a single phase, cross-sectional survey conducted among Singapore residents aged 60 years and above. A total of 2565 respondents completed the survey; depression was assessed using the Automated Geriatric Examination for Computer Assisted Taxonomy (AGECAT) while a diagnosis of DM was considered if respondents stated that a doctor had diagnosed them with DM.

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: prevalence, symptom groups and their correlates in community-based older adults with dementia in Singapore.

Background: This study assessed the prevalence and factor structure of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in a community-based sample of older adults with dementia and identified their correlates.

Methods: Data collected from 399 Singapore residents with dementia aged 60 years and above, interviewed along with a family/friend during a national survey, were used for this analysis. Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire assessed older adults' BPSD.