Alzheimer’s disease

Background and Objectives: Caring for a person with dementia places a significant burden upon informal caregivers and leads to decreased psychological and physical health, which is why dementia caregiver interventions have been developed. However, empirical evidence for the efficacy of those interventions is inconclusive and the last comprehensive meta-analysis (Pinquart & Sorensen. Helping caregivers of persons with dementia: Which interventions work and how large are their effects? International Psychogeriatrics.

Background: Non-pharmacological therapies for persons with dementia (PWD) are needed. Objective: To develop and test the Paired Preventing Loss of Independence through Exercise (PLIÉ) program, an integrative group movement program for PWD and care partners (CPs). Methods: Participants were randomized to immediate or delayed start to Paired PLIÉ in community-based classes (1 hour, 2 days/week, 12 weeks, 3 home visits).

The main aim of this study is to review the literature to show how ideas around virtual communities of practice (VCoP) offer a model for supporting informal caregivers of Alzheimer's patients (caregivers) to learn how to deal with caregiving demands. Caregivers are individuals who have a significant personal relationship with and provide a broad range of unpaid assistance to an older person or an adult with a chronic or disabling condition outside of a professional or formal framework.

Background: Dementia care is associated with physical, emotional, and monetary impact on the informal carers providing unpaid care. Differences in the personal characteristics of caregivers may help explain the variations in the costs of dementia care. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of caregivers' sense of coherence (SOC) on direct and indirect costs in dementia care. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in community dwelling caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: This study meant to analyze the main challenges and the care provided by nursing teams during the process of caring for elderly people bearing Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers. Methods: It is an integrative literature review that was performed through article searching in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and the Literatura Latino-americana e do Caribe em Ciencias da Saude (LILACS) [Latin-American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences].

Background: Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with significant mental burden e.g., depression and anxiety, and difficulties with social, familial, and professional functioning. To date, few studies have examined variables which would allow for a comprehensive and detailed study of the relationship between personal resources and caregiver health status, with a majority of studies focusing on factors that contribute to increased caregiver's burden.

Objective: To compare the costs and monetary benefits of non-pharmacological interventions for patients with Alzheimer's disease in real-world settings. Methods: A systematic review was performed to determine the most effective treatment strategies for being able to stay at home for patients with Alzheimer's disease. Care-management, family support, and multidisciplinary rehabilitation were identified as effective interventions applicable in the Finnish healthcare setting.

Background: The longitudinal pattern of medication use among family caregivers of people with dementia is not well understood, despite the potential for medication over- or under-use. Objectives: To investigate caregiver medication use over a five-year follow-up using data obtained via self-report and from a national prescription register, and compare agreement between medication data obtained from the two sources.

Background: Family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease are the most important support in concrete personal and economic terms. Family dynamics play a fundamental role in the provision of informal caregiving benefits. Objective: This review aims to identify factors related to the family caregiving of relatives with Alzheimer's disease, taking specifically into account the construct of coping and expressed emotion.

More than 15 million Americans are providing care for a family member with Alzheimer's disease. Family caregivers are faced with highly stressful experiences, using strong coping skills, and implementing critical decisions with little or no knowledge or information and with virtually no preparation or assistance. The need for research efforts to focus on caregiver stress, coping mechanisms, and informed decision-making skills spearheaded a theoretical framework to study the potential relationships between family caregivers' types of stress, coping skills, and their decision-making efforts.