Identity, mood, and quality of life in people with early-stage dementia

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1306-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa S. Caddell ◽  
Linda Clare

ABSTRACTBackground: There is little empirical research regarding the relationships between identity and well-being in people with dementia. The aim of the study was to explore the relationship of identity with mood and quality of life (QoL) in the people in the early stages of dementia.Method: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. Fifty people in the early stages of dementia completed measures pertaining to different aspects of identity, mood, and QoL. Multiple regression analyses were carried out to determine whether it was possible to predict any of the variance in mood and QoL from aspects of identity.Results: It was possible to predict 12.8% of the variance in anxiety, 23.4% of the variance in depression, and 25.1% of the variance in QoL from different aspects of identity. Predictors varied for each dependent variable.Conclusions: Aspects of identity predict a modest proportion of the variance in anxiety, depression, and QoL. This suggests that supporting identity in people with dementia who are experiencing difficulties in this regard might have a positive impact on mood and QoL. However, the majority of the variance in mood and QoL must be accounted for by other variables.

GeroPsych ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-134
Author(s):  
Mechthild Niemann-Mirmehdi ◽  
Andreas Häusler ◽  
Paul Gellert ◽  
Johanna Nordheim

Abstract. To date, few studies have focused on perceived overprotection from the perspective of people with dementia (PwD). In the present examination, the association of perceived overprotection in PwD is examined as an autonomy-restricting factor and thus negative for their mental well-being. Cross-sectional data from the prospective DYADEM study of 82 patient/partner dyads (mean age = 74.26) were used to investigate the association between overprotection, perceived stress, depression, and quality of life (QoL). The analyses show that an overprotective contact style with PwD has a significant positive association with stress and depression, and has a negative association with QoL. The results emphasize the importance of avoiding an overprotective care style and supporting patient autonomy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Santos de Queiroz ◽  
Alessandra Conceição Leite Funchal Camacho ◽  
Jonas Lírio Gurgel ◽  
Cíntia Raquel da Costa de Assis ◽  
Lucimere Maria dos Santos ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: To analyze the association between sociodemographic profile, health profile and the quality of life of caregivers of elderly people diagnosed with dementia. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a geriatric outpatient unit with 35 elderly caregivers diagnosed with dementia. A socio-demographic and health characterization form was used as well as the WHOQOL-bref scale. To verify the association of the variables, the Spearman or Pearson correlation tests were applied, according to the normality of the data. Results: A moderate association between caregiver age and quality of life was found, as well as between total time of care and quality of life, which reveals that the care provided to the elderly with dementia has repercussions on the quality of life. The domains of the WHOQOL-bref with the highest means were Social and Physical Relations, and those with lower mean values were Psychological and Environmental. Conclusion: The identification of conditions that influence the quality of life of caregivers of elderly people with dementia allows actions to promote, protect and recover the health and well-being of those who provide care to be established, so that this care is both for themselves and for the elderly.


Author(s):  
H. Rathi ◽  
M. Biyani ◽  
M. Malik ◽  
P. Rathi

Background. On March 24, 2020, a nationwide Lockdown for 21 days was ordered by the Government of India which was then extended till May 31, 2020. Researchers have predicted lockdown is a necessary step to prevent COVID-19 spread. However, others have also stated that it could cause serious damage to the economic, mental, social, and physical well-being of the people. Objective. The aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of lockdown on the quality of life and well-being of the Indians. Methods. It is a cross sectional prospective web-based questionnaire study. A link (https://forms.gle/pX25VuahP5NxT88QA) was created. Total 426 responses were received via that link and the data was included in the statistical analysis. Results. Our study revealed that during the lockdown 61.5% of the respondents were performing physical activities lesser than before. More than half responded they had a reduced financial satisfaction. Most answers on emotional well-being and social-family wellbeing were also positive, but some responses showed disturbing too, like 22% felt anxious and nervous over half of the days. It was found in the study that physical, financial, emotional, mental, social and family wellbeing were disturbed during the lockdown and quality of life was also hampered. Conclusion. Though, may be Nationwide Lockdown was the most required action at that point of time to prevent virus spread, but our study revealed that uncertainty regarding its cure and management guidelines like lockdown and social distancing has badly affected quality of life and wellbeing of the population.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e021074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remco Tuijt ◽  
Gill Livingston ◽  
Rebecca L Gould ◽  
Rebecca Jones ◽  
Elisabet Sole Verdaguer ◽  
...  

ObjectiveDepressive symptoms are common among people with dementia, impacting quality of life and cognitive and functional decline. Currently, little is known about the acceptability and feasibility of psychological interventions for people with mild dementia, with recent reviews identifying the need for further evidence. Developing and evaluating psychological interventions to prevent and treat these symptoms is, therefore, an important clinical and research priority. This protocol describes a study testing the acceptability and feasibility of a manual-based behavioural activation (BA) intervention for preventing and treating depressive symptoms in people with mild dementia. The aim of this study is to explore the feasibility of conducting a pragmatic multicentre randomised controlled trial of clinical effectiveness of an eight-session intervention. The Intervention to prevent Depressive symptoms and promote well-being in EArly-stage dementia (IDEA) programme supports people with dementia and their family carers in identifying and scheduling enjoyable and meaningful activities.Methods and analysisSixty people who have received a diagnosis of dementia of any type in the last 6 months will be recruited via memory clinics. Further criteria are a Mini-Mental State Examination score of ≥20, and a family carer who can assist with the intervention. Consenting participants will be randomised in a ratio of 2:1 to BA or to treatment as usual. Analyses will estimate parameters such as rates of recruitment, retention and number of sessions completed. Questionnaires measuring depressive symptoms and quality of life for both the person with dementia and their carer will be completed at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Qualitative interviews will explore acceptability of the intervention, study procedures and experiences of the sessions.Ethics and disseminationThis study received a favourable ethical opinion from the London Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee (16/LO/0540). We will disseminate findings at key conferences, the Alzheimer’s Society and University College London websites and local stakeholder events.Trial registration numberISRCTN75503960; Pre-results.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-27
Author(s):  
Adella Wahyuningsih ◽  
Tiyas Kusumaningrum ◽  
Gadis Meinar Sari

Quality of menopaused women’s life is influenced by several factors such as age, education level, occupation, and physical activity. Quality of life has concepts such as physical well-being, functional ability, and emotional or social well-being which ultimately lead to changes in individuals. Objective: to analyze factors related to the quality of postmenopausal women’s life. Methods: This observational analytic study used a cross sectional design. The population was all postmenopausal women who filled out online questionnaires using google forms distributed through social media with a sampling technique of convenience sampling with a total of 56 respondents. The instruments used in this study were the MENQoL (Menopause Specific Quality of Life) questionnaire and the husband's support questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using Chi Square Test. Results: This study showed that there was a relationship of physical activity which had a significant value of (p= 0.001) and the distance to health facilities (p= 0.043) to the quality of life of postmenopausal women. Conclusion: Physical activity and distance to health facilities affect the quality of life of postmenopausal women.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Alexander ◽  
Anthony Martyr ◽  
Laura D. Gamble ◽  
Sharon A. Savage ◽  
Catherine Quinn ◽  
...  

Abstract Background People living with dementia vary in awareness of their abilities. We explored awareness of the condition and diagnosis in people with mild-to-moderate dementia, and how this relates to quality of life, well-being, life satisfaction, and caregiver stress. Methods This study was a cross-sectional exploratory analysis of data from the IDEAL cohort, which recruited people with dementia living at home and available caregivers from 29 research sites in Great Britain. Our study included 917 people with mild-to-moderate dementia and 755 carers. Low and high awareness groups were derived from self-reported responses to a dementia representation measure. Logistic regression was used to explore predictors of awareness of condition and diagnosis using demographic, cognitive, functional and psychological measures, and the relationship with quality of life, well-being and life satisfaction (‘living well’), and caregiver stress. Results There were 83 people with low awareness of their condition. The remaining 834 people showed some awareness and 103 of these had high awareness of their condition and diagnosis. Psychosocial factors were stronger predictors of awareness than cognitive and functional ability. Those with higher awareness reported lower mood, and lower scores on indices of living well as well as lower optimism, self-efficacy and self-esteem. Low awareness was more likely in those aged 80y and above, and living in more socially deprived areas. No relationship was seen between caregiver stress and awareness. Conclusions Awareness of the condition and diagnosis varies in people with mild-to-moderate dementia and is relevant to the capability to live well. Awareness should be considered in person-centered clinical care.


Author(s):  
Inmaculada Méndez ◽  
Esther Secanilla ◽  
Juan P. Martínez ◽  
Josefa Navarro

In a global approach about the need of paying attention to staff working with and for older people with dementia and other diseases in residential care, it is necessary to investigate their emotional well-being to provide strategies to improve their quality of life and therefore their quality of patient care. Professional caregivers of people with dementia and other diseases have specific psycho-sociological problems. They are more prone to stress which can sometimes lead to the “burnout” due to specific functions in the workplace. To define the sample was decided to compare two residential centers of two regions, Murcia and Barcelona. We proceeded to the administration of the following measuring instruments: the scale Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and an ad hoc survey conducted for professional caregivers. Finally, the results offer the possibility of carrying out programs to prevent emotional exhaustion in professional carers, as well as the possibility of designing psychoeducational programs for staff care and even future proactive and reactive interventions.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2648
Author(s):  
Shila Minari Hargreaves ◽  
Eduardo Yoshio Nakano ◽  
Heesup Han ◽  
António Raposo ◽  
Antonio Ariza-Montes ◽  
...  

This study aimed to evaluate the general quality of life (QoL) of Brazilian vegetarians. A cross-sectional study was conducted with Brazilian vegetarian adults (18 years old and above). Individuals were recruited to participate in a nationwide online survey that comprised the WHOQOL-BREF as well as sociodemographic and characterization questions related to vegetarianism. The WHOQOL-BREF is composed of 24 items which are divided into four domains (domain 1: physical health; domain 2: psychological well-being; domain 3: social relationships; and domain 4: environment), plus two general items which were analyzed separately, totaling 26 items. The answers from the questionnaire were converted into scores with a 0–100 scale range, with separate analyses for each domain. Results were compared among groups based on the different characteristics of the vegetarian population. A total of 4375 individuals completed the survey. General average score results were 74.67 (domain 1), 66.71 (domain 2), 63.66 (domain 3) and 65.76 (domain 4). Vegans showed better scores when compared to the other vegetarians, except in domain four, where the statistical difference was observed only for semi-vegetarians (lower score). Individuals adopting a vegetarian diet for longer (>1 year) showed better results for domains one and two, with no difference for the other domains. Having close people also adopting a vegetarian diet positively influenced the results for all domains. On the other hand, it was not possible to distinguish any clear influence of the motivation for adopting a vegetarian diet on the scores’ results. Adopting a vegetarian diet does not have detrimental effects on one’s QoL. In fact, the more plant-based the diet, and the longer it was adopted, the better the results were.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 648-657
Author(s):  
Karen E. Steinhauser ◽  
Karen M. Stechuchak ◽  
Katherine Ramos ◽  
Joseph Winger ◽  
James A. Tulsky ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveCompare the efficacy of two interventions addressing emotional and existential well-being in early life-limiting illness.MethodPrimary trial analysis (n = 135) included patients with advanced cancer, congestive heart failure, or end-stage renal disease; Arm 1 received the Outlook intervention, addressing issues of life completion and preparation, and Arm 2 received relaxation meditation (RM). Primary outcomes at five weeks (primary endpoint) and seven weeks (secondary): completion and preparation (QUAL-E); secondary outcomes: anxiety (POMS) quality of life (FACT-G) and spiritual well-being (FACIT-Sp) subscales of faith, meaning, and peace.ResultsAverage age was 62; 56% were post-high school-educated, 54% were married, 52% white, 44% female, and 70% had a cancer diagnosis. At baseline, participants demonstrated low levels of anxiety (<5 on POMS subscale) and depression (<10 on CESD) relative to population norms. Results of the primary analysis revealed no significant differences in mean Preparation by treatment arm at five weeks (14.4 Outlook vs. 14.8 RM; between-group difference −0.4 [95% CI, −1.6, 0.8], p = 0.49) or seven weeks (15.2 vs.15.4; between-group difference −0.2 [95% CI, −1.5, 1.0], p = 0.73). There were also no significant differences in mean Life Completion by treatment arm between five weeks (26.6 Outlook vs. 26.3 RM; between-group difference 0.2 [95% CI, −1.2, 1.7], p = 0.76) or seven weeks (26.5 vs. 27.5; between-group difference −1.0 [95% CI, −2.7, 0.7], p = 0.23). Compared to RM, Outlook participants did not have significant differences over time in the secondary outcomes of overall quality of life, anxiety, depression, FACT-G subscales, and FACIT-Sp subscales.DiscussionIn early-stage life-limiting illness, Outlook did not demonstrate a significant difference in primary or secondary outcomes relative to RM. Results underscore the importance of pre-screening for distress. Qualitatively, Outlook participants were able to express suppressed emotions, place illness context, reflect on adaptations, and strengthen identity. Screening for distress and identifying specified measures of distress, beyond anxiety and depression, is essential in our ability to adequately assess the multi-dimensional mechanisms that decrease existential suffering.


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