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Activities of daily living

Perceptions and management of change by people with dementia and their carers living at home

This article presents findings from a research study that examined, by observation and interview, the nature of care as a form of social organization in the homes of people with dementia whose care was at least partly provided by relatives or friends. Twenty situations were included in which the carers and people with dementia were interviewed. Each participating pair was observed for an average of nine hours. Change was perceived, on the whole, in negative terms for both caregiver and the person with dementia.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:18

Who cares for caregivers? Evidence-based approaches to family support

Currently, more than one in 10 Americans are caregivers, and projections suggest exponential increases in caregiving in the years ahead. Not only is the population growing older, but the spike, in particular, created by the aging of some 78 million baby boomers portends far greater demand. Families continue to represent the lion’s share of caregivers and their caregiving efforts are substantial in every sense of the word. 

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:17

Experiences of using a memory aid to structure and support daily activities in a small-scale group accommodation for people with dementia

Background: Use of technology to structure and support the daily activities of the residents in a small-scale group accommodation (SSGA) for dementia is a new innovation in the Netherlands. This paper presents the process of development of this new way of structuring activities and the findings of a pilot study looking at the experiences of using this device in people with dementia.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:17

What constitutes health-related quality of life in dementia? Development of a conceptual framework for people with dementia and their carers

Background: The evaluation of multi-dimensional outcomes such as health-related quality of life (HRQL) is particularly relevant in dementia where the disease can compromise all areas of functioning. The nature of dementia can make self-report difficult, yet the subjective nature of HRQL makes the value of proxy reports limited. Previous work suggests that there are domains of HRQL that are unique to dementia.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

A qualitative study of the experiences of long-term care for residents with dementia, their relatives and staff

Most older people living in 24-hour care settings have dementia. We employed qualitative interviews to explore positive and negative aspects of the experience of family carers, staff and people with dementia living in 10 homes in London and West Essex, selected to cover the full range of 24-hour long-term care settings. The interview used open semi-structured questions.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:16

Informal carers of mentally infirm elderly in Lancashire

Objectives: To investigate the determinants of satisfaction in caregiving and to compare satisfaction in care-giving amongst carers of demented and non-demented mentally infirm elders; and, assess carer attitudes and concerns, and their implications on care in the community.; Design: Cross-sectional study of informal carers of the elderly referred to a psychogeriatric service, using a questionnaire investigating carer satisfaction (CASI), care-recipient dependency needs, carer burden (CADI), carer concerns and attitudes in relation to caregiving, and the 28

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:15

Prevalence and effects of caregiving on children

Aim This paper reports the prevalence and its related sociodemographic factors of informal caregiving by underage children in Austria. The quantity and intensity of caregiving activities, the motivation for and effects of caregiving and how this differs from non-caregiving children were investigated. Background Young carers are a worldwide phenomenon. Due to methodological and sampling problems, little quantitative data are available. Design Cross-sectional, descriptive study.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:13

Caregiver burden, time spent caring and health status in the first 12 months following stroke

OBJECTIVE: To quantify time caring, burden and health status in carers of stroke patients after discharge from rehabilitation; to identify the potentially modifiable sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with these outcomes. METHODS: Patients and carers prospectively interviewed 6 (n=71) and 12 (n=57) months after discharge. Relationships of carer and patient variables with burden, health status and time analysed by Gaussian and Poisson regression. RESULTS: Carers showed considerable burden at 6 and 12 months.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:11

Explaining about ... day-to-day living with dementia

For sufferers of dementia and their carers, there are many questions to be answered; not only about what the long term will bring, but also simply how to cope with the unfolding of everyday living. In our first article, Graham Stokes looks at some of the practicalities of coping with the illness and offers useful tips and advice that will hopefully provide some reassurance and pointers for managing day‐to‐day tasks more easily.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:11

Caregivers’ estimation of patients’ quality of life (QoL) in Alzheimer's disease (AD): An approach using the ADRQL

The purpose of this study was to describe the QoL of patients with AD (PAD) as perceived by family caregivers, and to analyze the correlates of such QoL. This study covered 92 PAD enrolled in a cognitive-motor stimulation study. The severity of cognitive impairment ranged from mild cognitive impairment to severe dementia. QoL was measured using the AD-related quality of life (ADRQL) scale. Social and clinical variables (for both PAD and caregiver) as well as other variables relating to cognition, activities of daily living (ADL), behavior, mood and caregiver burden were recorded.

Thu, 07/20/2017 - 15:11