Publications by authors named "Wiegelmann H"
The concept of social health has recently received increasing attention in dementia research. Various notions of what social health is and how it can be measured are circulating. They may pose challenges for comparing results and interpreting them for the development of interventions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The identification of dyadic subgroups of individuals living with dementia and their informal caregivers can help to design effective tailored support. In a previous German study, we identified six dementia dyad subgroups by applying Latent Class Analysis (LCA). Results showed sociodemographic heterogeneity as well as differences in health care outcomes (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[Home-care services in the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: challenges for staff and care recipients].
Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz
March 2023
Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, people in need of long-term care were among the most vulnerable population groups. Home-care services were under exceptional strain, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. The aim of this study is to examine the situation and problems of care services and the people in need of care during the first two waves of the pandemic in Germany.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[The situation of informal caregivers of working age in the COVID-19 pandemic-results of an online survey in Germany].
Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz
March 2023
Background: The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have posed major challenges to different groups. One of these are informal caregivers. This study investigates the changes the pandemic has caused for informal caregivers and the extent to which quality of life and burden of care have changed for specific subgroups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The study aims to clarify the concept of social health in relation to dementia, highlighting its potential role in cognitive decline and the need for a more robust framework to guide future research.
- - An iterative process was employed to develop a conceptual model that defines social health as an individual's well-being influenced by both personal capacities and the social environment, encompassing factors like social participation and networks.
- - The framework serves as a foundation for identifying risk and protective factors in dementia, pointing towards new preventive strategies and emphasizing the importance of studying social health in dementia research.
Article Synopsis
- Poor social connections, such as small social networks and feelings of loneliness, are linked to cognitive decline and this study investigates their impact on cognitive health over time while considering sex differences.
- The researchers analyzed data from 13 global longitudinal studies, focusing on individuals without dementia at baseline, and assessed the relationship between social connections and changes in cognitive performance across various domains.
- The findings suggest that stronger social connections can positively influence cognitive health, particularly in relation to maintaining cognitive function as people age.
Article Synopsis
- The study emphasizes the need to consider diverse health aspects, particularly social factors, when assessing the risk of developing dementia and devising prevention strategies.
- A systematic review of literature from 2009-2021 identified 624 cognitive-related factors linked to dementia, highlighting that most (61.2%) are risk factors like cardiovascular diseases and genetic predispositions, while protective factors (20%) mainly involve lifestyle choices.
- The findings suggest that social support may help delay cognitive decline, though the evidence is inconsistent, indicating a need for more research into lifestyle, psychological, and social health aspects related to dementia prevention.
Background: Most persons with dementia live at home and want to stay there as long as possible. In most cases, informal carers such as spouses or children care for them. Together with other family members and professional carers, they form care arrangements to address the complex needs of persons with dementia.
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- Dementia is influenced by various factors, and understanding these is essential for designing effective studies that explore their relationships and impacts on cognitive decline.
- * The study utilized a systematic literature review and expert workshops to identify and organize 73 factors related to dementia across six domains, including physical, social health, psychological, environmental, demographic, and lifestyle factors.
- * The resulting causal loop diagram provides a detailed visualization of these factors and their interactions, enabling researchers to formulate hypotheses regarding causal relationships in dementia.
Background: Studies revealed the importance to assess dementia care dyads, composed of persons with dementia and their primary informal caregivers, in a differentiated way and to tailor support services to particular living and care circumstances. Therefore, this study aims first to identify classes of dementia care dyads that differ according to sociodemographic, care-related and dementia-specific characteristics and second, to compare these classes with regard to healthcare-related outcomes.
Methods: We used data from the cross-sectional German DemNet-D study (n = 551) and conducted a latent class analysis to investigate different classes of dementia care dyads.
Background: Informal caregivers of persons living with dementia have an increased risk of adverse mental health effects. It is therefore important to systematically summarize published literature in order to find out which mental health interventions generate effective support for informal caregivers of persons living with dementia. The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review of intervention content, effectiveness and subgroup differentiation of mental health interventions for informal caregivers of persons with dementia living at home.
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