Irrelevant Interests? A Qualitative Study Into How German Family Surrogates of Persons Living With Dementia Fulfill Their Legal Role as Advocates of an Advance Directive.

Background And Objectives: German legislation establishes advance directives (ADs) as legally binding instruments that all involved parties need to adhere to. This applies also to family members who have been authorized as official surrogates of the AD's author. As surrogates, they are expected to make sure that the AD is being implemented.

Online counselling for family carers of people with young onset dementia: The RHAPSODY-Plus pilot study.

Objective: Compared to late life dementia, Young Onset Dementia (YOD) has its own distinct challenges, including a lack of specialised and age-appropriate support services. Carers of people with YOD experience higher levels of psychological and physical symptoms, and lower quality of life. This study (RHAPSODY-Plus) assessed the acceptability and feasibility of combining RHAPSODY (Research to Assess Policies and Strategies for Dementia in the Young; a web-based information and skill-building programme for carers of people with YOD) with individually tailored support sessions with health professionals (a social worker and a clinical psychologist) provided via online videoconferencing.

Inappropriate Involvement? Presenting Empirical Insight into the Preparation Phase of Advance Directives of Persons Living with Dementia Under German Legislation.

The scholarly debate on advance directives (ADs) in the context of dementia is mainly built around ethical arguments. Empirical studies that shed light into the realities of ADs of persons living with dementia are few and far between and too little is known about the effect of national AD legislation on such realities. This paper offers insight into the preparation phase of ADs according to German legislation in the context of dementia.

Experiences with alternative online lectures in medical education in obstetrics and gynecology during the COVID-19 pandemic-possible efficient and student-orientated models for the future?

Purpose: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic posed an eminent challenge for medical teachers worldwide. Face-to-face lectures and seminars were no longer possible, and alternatives had to be found. E-learning concepts quickly emerged as the only practicable solutions and also offered the opportunity to evaluate whether traditional face-to-face lectures could be translated into an online format, independent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The role of gender-specific factors in the choice of specialty training in obstetrics and gynecology: results from a survey among medical students in Germany.

Purpose: The field of obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) is facing growing competition for young professionals in Germany, with high interest rates among female graduates and a declining proportion of male students who choose residency training in the field. The aim of this study is to analyze general and gender-dependent factors that influence the decision for or against specialty training in OB/GYN among medical students in Germany.

Methods: Between February and November 2019, n = 346 medical students in their 5th and 6th year of undergraduate training at Heidelberg University received a questionnaire with 44 items.

Perceived Need and Acceptability of an App to Support Activities of Daily Living in People With Cognitive Impairment and Their Carers: Pilot Survey Study.

Background: Modern technologies, including smartphone apps, have the potential to assist people with cognitive impairment with activities of daily living, allowing them to maintain their independence and reduce carer burden. However, such tools have seen a slow rate of uptake in this population, and data on the acceptability of assistive technologies in this population are limited.

Objective: This pilot study included older adults with cognitive impairment and their carers, and explored the perceived needs for and acceptability of an app that was designed to be a simple assistive tool for activities of daily living.

Sex Differences in Neuropsychological Test Performance in Alzheimer's Disease and the Influence of the ApoE Genotype.

Background: Only few studies exist reporting sex differences in the Alzheimer disease (AD) patients regarding cognitive profile, brain damage, and risk factors. The present study investigated the influence of sex in combination with the Alzheimer risk allele, ε4-allele of apolipoprotein E, on cognitive performance.

Materials And Methods: We examined the effect of sex and ApoE genotype on a range of neuropsychological markers from the German version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry in Alzheimer's Disease Neuropsychological Battery in a monocentric study of 399 AD patients.

Modern technology to support carers of care recipients with dementia or functional mental illness: promising progress, but a long road ahead.

There is no doubt that family carers who look after a family member with dementia or with a functional mental illness fulfill an important role, not only for their loved one, but also for the health and aged care systems of the countries they live in. Due to increasing life expectancy, but also improved healthcare the number of family carers supporting older care recipients with functional mental illness or dementia is on the rise. While the carer role often can offer rewarding experiences caregivers are at increased risk of stress, depression, sleep problems, and often experience poor health outcomes with increased morbidity and mortality (Oyebode, 2003).