Emotional Expression During Mid- to Late-Stage Dementia

1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Magai ◽  
Carl Cohen ◽  
David Gomberg ◽  
Chris Malatesta ◽  
Clayton Culver

This study examined the quality of emotional responsivity in mid-to late-stage dementia patients. Eighty-two nursing home patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of primary degenerative dementia of the Alzheimer type served as subjects. Patients were staged using the Global Deterioration Scale. The level and type of patient affectivity were assessed by family reports, aide reports, and direct observation and coding of patient facial expressions during a family visit. All three measures indicated that patients with Alzheimer's disease expressed a range of affective signals. Some showed an intact and functional emotion system even during the last stage of the disease; one third of end-stage dementia patients expressed sadness at the departure of their relatives as coded by an objective facial affect coding system.

1990 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Kuskowski ◽  
Gerald Morley ◽  
Stephen M. Malone ◽  
Maurice W. Dysken ◽  
Amy Okaya

Changes in smooth pursuit eye movements and the P300 component of the auditory evoked potential were studied in patients with primary degenerative dementia during a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of ergoloid mesylates (Hydergine). After 18 weeks of treatment, P300 latency and amplitude, recorded at three scalp electrode sites, had not changed significantly. Smooth pursuit gain was elevated for the drug group under some stimulus conditions, suggesting a normalization of pursuit eye movement functioning. However, the results of several other measures of the quality of pursuit eye movements failed to corroborate this finding. ( J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1990; 3:41-47).


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e025692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corita R Grudzen ◽  
Deborah J Shim ◽  
Abigail M Schmucker ◽  
Jeanne Cho ◽  
Keith S Goldfeld

IntroductionEmergency department (ED)-initiated palliative care has been shown to improve patient-centred outcomes in older adults with serious, life-limiting illnesses. However, the optimal modality for providing such interventions is unknown. This study aims to compare nurse-led telephonic case management to specialty outpatient palliative care for older adults with serious, life-limiting illness on: (1) quality of life in patients; (2) healthcare utilisation; (3) loneliness and symptom burden and (4) caregiver strain, caregiver quality of life and bereavement.Methods and analysisThis is a protocol for a pragmatic, multicentre, parallel, two-arm randomised controlled trial in ED patients comparing two established models of palliative care: nurse-led telephonic case management and specialty, outpatient palliative care. We will enrol 1350 patients aged 50+ years and 675 of their caregivers across nine EDs. Eligible patients: (1) have advanced cancer (metastatic solid tumour) or end-stage organ failure (New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure, end-stage renal disease with glomerular filtration rate <15 mL/min/m2, or global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease stage III, IV or oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease); (2) speak English; (3) are scheduled for ED discharge or observation status; (4) reside locally; (5) have a working telephone and (6) are insured. Patients will be excluded if they: (1) have dementia; (2) have received hospice care or two or more palliative care visits in the last 6 months or (3) reside in a long-term care facility. We will use patient-level block randomisation, stratified by ED site and disease. Effectiveness will be compared by measuring the impact of each intervention on the specified outcomes. The primary outcome will measure change in patient quality of life.Ethics and disseminationInstitutional Review Board approval was obtained at all study sites. Trial results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration numberNCT03325985; Pre-results.


Author(s):  
Kristina Rosqvist ◽  
Per Odin ◽  
Stefan Lorenzl ◽  
Wassilios G. Meissner ◽  
Bastiaan R. Bloem ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 233339282110183
Author(s):  
Tariku Shimels ◽  
Abrham Getachew ◽  
Mekdim Tadesse ◽  
Alison Thompson

Introduction: Transplantation is the optimal management for patients with end-stage renal disease. In Ethiopia, the first national kidney transplantation center was opened at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College in September 2015. The aim of this study was to explore providers’ views and experiences of the past to present at this center. Methods: A qualitative study design was employed from 1st November to 15th December, 2019. To ensure that appropriate informants would provide rich study data, 8 health care providers and top management members were purposefully chosen for in-depth interviews. A maximum variation sampling method was considered to include a representative sample of informants. Interviews were digitally audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Transcribed data was coded and analyzed using Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) Minor Lite software and Microsoft-Excel. Result: The participants (5 males and 3 females) approached were from different departments of the renal transplant center, and the main hospital. Eight main themes and 18 sub-themes were generated initially from all interviews totaling to 109 index codes. Further evaluation and recoding retained 5 main themes, and 14 sub-themes. The main themes are; challenges experienced during and after launching the center, commitment, sympathy and satisfaction, outcomes of renal transplant, actions to improve the quality of service, and how the transplant center should operate. Providers claim that they discharge their responsibilities through proper commitment and compassion, paying no attention to incentive packages. They also explained that renal transplantation would have all the outcomes related to economic, humanistic and clinical facets. Conclusion and Recommendation: A multitude of challenges were faced during and after the establishment of the first renal transplant center in Ethiopia. Providers discharge their responsibility through a proper compassion for patients. Concerned stakeholders should actively collaborate to improve the quality of renal transplant services in the center.


2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 63-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casper de Boer ◽  
Johan J.M. Pel ◽  
Johannes van der Steen ◽  
Francesco Mattace-Raso

Background/Aims: Recent evidence shows that early dementia patients have deficits in manual reaching tasks. It is important to understand the impact of these functional disabilities on their quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is an association between manual reaching and measures of (instrumental) activities of daily living (IADL) in a group of patients with cognitive complaints. Methods: The manual reaching performance of 27 patients was assessed in detail with eye and hand tracking devices. Patients were divided into three groups based on self-reported loss of IADL function. Parameters describing hand response and movement times were compared between groups. Results: Patients with loss of IADL function in ≥1 domain had delayed hand response and hand movement times towards visible targets compared to patients with no loss of IADL function. Conclusion: Delays in manual reaching movements are related to the degree of loss of IADL function in early dementia patients.


Author(s):  
Wouter R Verberne ◽  
Iris D van den Wittenboer ◽  
Carlijn G N Voorend ◽  
Alferso C Abrahams ◽  
Marjolijn van Buren ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Non-dialytic conservative care (CC) has been proposed as a viable alternative to maintenance dialysis for selected older patients to treat end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). This systematic review compares both treatment pathways on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms, which are major outcomes for patients and clinicians when deciding on preferred treatment. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Plus and PsycINFO from inception to 1 October 2019 for studies comparing patient-reported HRQoL outcomes or symptoms between patients who chose either CC or dialysis for ESKD. Results Eleven observational cohort studies were identified comprising 1718 patients overall. There were no randomized controlled trials. Studies were susceptible to selection bias and confounding. In most studies, patients who chose CC were older and had more comorbidities and worse functional status than patients who chose dialysis. Results were broadly consistent across studies, despite considerable clinical and methodological heterogeneity. Patient-reported physical health outcomes and symptoms appeared to be worse in patients who chose CC compared with patients who chose dialysis but had not yet started, but similar compared with patients on dialysis. Mental health outcomes were similar between patients who chose CC or dialysis, including before and after dialysis start. In patients who chose dialysis, the burden of kidney disease and impact on daily life increased after dialysis start. Conclusions The available data, while heterogeneous, suggest that in selected older patients, CC has the potential to achieve similar HRQoL and symptoms compared with a dialysis pathway. High-quality prospective studies are needed to confirm these provisional findings.


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