Interviewed 179 caregivers of hospitalized patients and studied discharge decisions to examine factors associated with willingness to continue in caregiving role after hospitalization of relative with dementia. Caregivers initially undecided about discharge plans were likely to seek placement for patients with more severe cognitive impairment,…

Interviewed primary caregivers of 99 Alzheimer's patients about existence and appearance order of linguistic symptoms to study disease effects on communication. Found that prevalence of linguistic symptoms strongly correlated with order of symptom appearance. Discusses symptom prevalence and order of appearance in relation to onset of…

Describes a workshop in which family members and friends of persons with dementing disorders who live in nursing homes develop stories of these residents' lives. The workshop is product-oriented, is not meant as a support group, and works best in organizations emphasizing individualized care. Stories should help staff members better understand…

Examined the effects on veteran and novice participants of a life review program for nursing home residents with Alzheimers disease or severe cognitive dysfunction. Results confirm the impact of the Life Review Program on level of disorientation, social interaction, and life review. Evidence suggests that life improvements may be stored in memory…

Comparison of adults with mental retardation either with or without Down syndrome and under or over 50 years of age found a significantly higher rate of dementia only in Down syndrome subjects over 50. However, the observed incidence based on functional findings was substantially below the presumed 100% prevalence of neuropathological markers of…

Dementia because of Alzheimer's disease (AD) commonly affects older adults with Down's syndrome (DS). Methods are needed, with established concurrent and predictive validity, to facilitate the diagnostic assessment of dementia, when it is complicated by pre-existing intellectual disabilities (ID). We report on the reliability and validity of a…

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of short-term memory and attention in time estimation. For this purpose we studied prospective time verbal estimation in 21 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and compared their performance with that of 21 matched normal controls in two different conditions: during a digit span task and during an…

Since previous investigations reported improvements in cognition of patients with dementia after acetyl-L-carnitine therapy and since there is an increased risk for persons with Down syndrome to develop Alzheimer disease, this study was designed to investigate the effect of acetyl-L-carnitine administration on neurological, intellectual, and…

Assessing higher cerebral functions in patients with known or suspected dementia requires sampling numerous abilities quickly and accurately. This paper reports on the performance of 20 patients with probable dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) on the BNI Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions (BNI Screen). These patients' performances were…

This research examined whether a multicomponent program consisting of individual and family counseling intervention for spouse caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients can affect caregiver depression. Self-referred spouse caregivers (N=52) completed an intensive assessment battery on their perception of patient and personal status at entry into…

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of different ways of coping on caregivers' physical health and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Sixty persons living with and caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's disease (n=58) or multi-infarct dementia (n=2) were interviewed and evaluated by a series of instruments. Independent variables…

Data from primary care physicians attending a workshop on Alzheimer's disease included 21 pretests, 14 posttests, and 17 interviews. Results showed that 41% had used workshop materials to train other health care providers; all felt better able to conduct patient education. (SK)

This study compared the production of complex syntax by 16 older adults diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's disease and 25 age-matched control subjects. It found that although individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease did not produce frank lexical or grammatical errors, they did find it difficult to access the "best fit" between meaning and…

Compared 30 caregiver-Alzheimer's afflicted spouse dyads with 17 healthy married couples. Found caregivers differed significantly from well-group spouses on companionship and total marital quality. Only 27 percent of Alzheimer's couples versus 82 percent of well couples were sexually active. Caregivers evidenced adaptation and control; afflicted…

Compared coping factors among family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients in Shanghai, China (n=110) and San Diego, California (n=139). Uncovered four coping factors that were reliably consistent in both samples: behavioral confronting, behavioral distancing/social support, cognitive confronting, and cognitive distancing. Shanghai caregivers…