Examined demographic characteristics of 242 clinic outpatients evaluated for dementia. Each individual received comprehensive assessment of medical status, psychological functioning, and social abilities. Results add to knowledge of characteristics of individuals with Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia, or other related disorders.…

Compared demented patients in special care units in four nursing homes with demented counterparts in same facilities who were not placed in special care units. Results suggest that two groups differ in level of cognitive impairment, behavior, and functional and physical status. No deleterious or beneficial effects were associated with special care…

Contrasted predictors of depression among 101 men and 214 women providing care to spouses suffering from Alzheimer's Disease using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies (CES-D) Depression Index. Results indicated that caregiving wives were more depressed and more burdened than were caregiving husbands. (Author/BHK)

Partnership project for collaboration between families and professionals was demonstrated in eight Massachusetts communities. Project proved successful in its strategies to heighten public awareness, strengthen interagency networking, and improve community resources. (Author)

A light exercise program was set up for 11 patients with Alzheimer's disease who exercised each day for 40 minutes. Their sleep patterns were compared with a control group who did not exercise. Results indicate that those who participated in the exercise program manifested 40% less restless behavior, while those in the non-exercise group showed a…

Used daily experience survey to distinguish patterns of stress among 21 elderly individuals providing home care to spouse or parent with Alzheimer's disease and comparison group of 20 elderly noncaregivers. Found that life circumstances influenced stress perception in daily life. Caregivers and noncaregivers differed in types of experiences they…

Analyzed data from 125 questionnaires completed by callers of telephone helpline specializing in Alzheimer's disease and related dementing illnesses. On average, 3.94 requests for information were made per call. Most common requests concerned home services, general information about dementia, information about adult day care, and support group…

Primary caregivers (n=41) of memory-impaired patients rated a standardized stimulus of depression and their actual patient. They were able to correctly identify depression in both. Further, their mood was unassociated with video ratings and only moderately associated with patient ratings. The findings support reliance on caregiver input.…

Randomly assigned spouse-caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients to treatment group (individual and family counseling, support group participation, and ad hoc consultation) or control group (only routine support). Treatment group had less than half as many nursing home placements as control group. Placement also was affected by patient's need…

Examined strategies used by 170 Alzheimer's disease caregivers to cope with memory deficits, communication impairments, and decline of loved one. Wishfulness was related to more depressed affect, regardless of stressor type. Relaxation in response to memory deficits, and acceptance in dealing with communication impairments and decline of loved one…

To examine possible reasons for conflicting prevalence data on psychiatric features of Alzheimer's disease, compared results of mental status examination by physician with questionnaire completed by caregivers in eliciting 12 different psychiatric symptoms. Found agreement only on categories suggesting agitation. Formal examination showed more…

Examined personality factors and coping strategies among 50 spouse caregivers of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia. Results showed that personality traits explained 60% of variance in emotion-focused coping, 30% of variance in problem-focused coping, and 15% of variance associated with social support coping.…

Surveyed nine Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) sites to identify barriers to recruiting African-American subjects. Major cited obstacles were expenses, transportation difficulties, and especially lack of rapport with clinic staff. CERAD efforts to increase community awareness of Alzheimer's disease and staff…

Contrasts changes in semantic memory in elderly normal controls and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients before patients expressed symptoms. Found that controls generated more uncommon exemplars from closed semantic categories (fruits and vegetables) than did AD patients prior to presumed onset of AD. AD patients were just as productive as controls…

Caregivers (n=158) from Swedish nursing home rated severely demented person as painful, apathetic, suffering, weak, afraid, sad, cold, dark, rough, and ugly. Four years later, comparable group of 93 caregivers answered revised questionnaire. Results were nearly identical to first administration. (Author/NB)