Objectives: To investigate the relationship between behavioural problems in patients with dementia and changes in the marital relationship.
Methods: Fifty-three spouse caregivers of patients with dementia participated in the study. Questionnaires and interviews were used to examine caregiver perception of changes in the quality of their relationship. Behavioural disturbances in the patient were measured with the NeuroPsychiatric Inventory (NPI).
Results: Caregivers experienced a deterioration of their relationship, yet at the same time most felt closer to their spouse now than in the past. Regression analysis revealed that patient behavioural problems were, independent of patient cognitive status or functional impairment, associated with deterioration in the quality of the relationship between patient and caregiver. Patient apathy rather than depressive mood was associated with this deterioration. Apathy diminished the amount and reciprocity of interactions between partners.
Conclusions: These results show that passive behaviour rather than excessive behaviour has most impact on the deterioration of the marital relationship. Intervention programmes should target relationship problems when problem behaviour, especially apathy, is present in patients with dementia.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/gps.807 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Increased plasma DOPA decarboxylase levels in Lewy body disorders are driven by dopaminergic treatment.
Nat Commun
January 2025
Neurochemistry Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Amsterdam Neuroscience, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
DOPA Decarboxylase (DDC) has been proposed as a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker with increased concentrations in Lewy body disorders (LBDs) and highest levels in patients receiving dopaminergic treatment. Here we evaluate plasma DDC, measured by proximity extension assay, and the effect of dopaminergic treatment in three independent LBD (with a focus on dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease (PD)) cohorts: an autopsy-confirmed cohort (n = 71), a large multicenter, cross-dementia cohort (n = 1498) and a longitudinal cohort with detailed treatment information (n = 66, median follow-up time[IQR] = 4[4, 4] years). Plasma DDC was not altered between different LBDs and other disease groups or controls in absence of treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPerspectives of Hospital Medicine Providers on the Management of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Patients with Dementia.
J Gen Intern Med
January 2025
Northwell Health, New Hyde Park, NY, USA.
Background: Oropharyngeal dysphagia (dysphagia) is a common (up to 86%) and devastating syndrome in hospitalized older adults with dementia.
Objective: To describe the perspectives of dysphagia management in hospitalized patients with dementia among hospital medicine providers (i.e.
Predictive testing for Huntington's disease in a digital age; patient power with potential pitfalls.
Eur J Hum Genet
January 2025
City St. George's University, School of Health & Medical Sciences, London, UK.
MemScreen: A smartphone application for detection of mild cognitive impairment: A validation study: Smartphone App for MCI Detection.
J Prev Alzheimers Dis
January 2025
Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1153, Centre of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics, Team Epidemiology of Ageing and Neurodegenerative Diseases, 10 avenue de Verdun, 75010 Paris, France; Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, 38-50 Bidborough Street, WC1H 9BT London, UK.
Background And Objectives: Primary care is often the first point of contact for patients with cognitive complaints, making initial cognitive screening an essential step to avoid delays in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease (AD) at an early stage. We developed MemScreen, a self-administered smartphone application that assesses overall cognition and verbal memory, and evaluated its ability to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in both general and clinical populations.
Methods: We conducted two validation cohort studies: (1) UK-based Whitehall II cohort study (13th wave, 2018-2022) involving a general population (MCI defined by poor performance on a global cognitive score), and (2) five French memory clinics involving patients without dementia (amnestic MCI defined by the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test).
The inflammatory profiling in a cohort of older patients suffering from cognitive decline and dementia.
Exp Gerontol
January 2025
Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via della Commenda 19, 20122 Milan, Italy; Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy. Electronic address:
Background: During aging, there is a progressive impairment of immune cell function that triggers the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines causing the so-called "inflammaging". Frailty represents a condition of increased vulnerability to stresses and reduced homeostatic reserve reflecting not only health status but also biological age. In older subjects without dementia, we showed that markers of inflammaging were differently associated with chronological age than with frailty.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!