A qualitative investigation into family carers’ experiences of living with/caring for a person with young-onset dementia

Author(s):  
Cathal Blake ◽  
Louise Hopper

Ageing is a significant risk factor for developing dementia; however, some people develop symptoms before the age of 65. Although less common, it is referred to as young-onset dementia. Estimating prevalence rates in Ireland is difficult, as there has been little study around what it is like to live with/care for this cohort; consequently, it is poorly understood. Nine primary carers were interviewed using semi-structured one-to-one interviews. Interview data were analysed with inductive thematic analysis. Themes included sense of loss, diagnostic issues, appropriateness of services, stigma and carer strain, illustrating the complex nature of caring for someone with young-onset dementia.

Dementia ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 147130122110093
Author(s):  
Melanie Bayly ◽  
Megan E. O’Connell ◽  
August Kortzman ◽  
Shelley Peacock ◽  
Debra G. Morgan ◽  
...  

Individuals with young onset dementia and their families face unique challenges, such as disruptions to their life cycle and relationships and a dearth of appropriate supports. Financial consequences have also been noted in the literature yet have not been explored in-depth. The purpose of this research was to qualitatively explore carers’ experiences of financial consequences resulting from the young onset dementia of a family member and how these consequences may be managed. Eight carers (7 women and 1 man) provided a written online narrative about their journey with young onset dementia and any financial consequences experienced, with open-ended prompts to elicit details not yet shared. Narratives were inductively coded and analyzed using a thematic narrative approach. Carers described a voluntary or involuntary end to employment for the person with young onset dementia around the time of diagnosis. This engendered ongoing and anticipated financial consequences, combined with the need for carers to balance employment with the provision of care (which often meant early retirement for spousal carers). Common themes were tension between the needs to provide care and earn income, altered financial prospects, costs of care, and lack of available and accessible supports to ameliorate financial consequences. Findings illustrate the reality of financial consequences across the trajectory of young onset dementia. These consequences may manifest differently for spousal and child carers and are not being adequately addressed by existing supports.


Geriatrics ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aud Johannessen ◽  
Knut Engedal ◽  
Kirsten Thorsen

Author(s):  
Minna Lyons ◽  
Ellen Bootes ◽  
Gayle Brewer ◽  
Katie Stratton ◽  
Luna Centifanti

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic is likely to affect people who have had previous experiences of psychosis – either positively or negatively. A research gap exists in looking at qualitative experiences of the pandemic. In the present study, we address the research gap in those who self-identified as having psychosis via Reddit discussion forum posts, collecting data from a popular online community. Sixty-five posts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Five overarching themes were identifie; declining mental health, changed psychosis experiences, personal coping experiences, social connectedness and disconnectedness, and COVID-19 as a metaphor. The data show that there are varied experiences associated with the pandemic. People who have experiences of psychosis do not only have vulnerabilities but may also perceive themselves as having strengths that allow them to cope better.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. e0219859
Author(s):  
Lara Hvidsten ◽  
Knut Engedal ◽  
Geir Selbæk ◽  
Torgeir Bruun Wyller ◽  
Jūratė Šaltytė Benth ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. e216111
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Bannon ◽  
Victoria A. Grunberg ◽  
Mira Reichman ◽  
Paula J. Popok ◽  
Lara Traeger ◽  
...  

Crisis ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 330-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cun-Xian Jia ◽  
Lin-Lin Wang ◽  
Ai-Qiang Xu ◽  
Ai-Ying Dai ◽  
Ping Qin

Background: Physical illness is linked with an increased risk of suicide; however, evidence from China is limited. Aims: To assess the influence of physical illness on risk of suicide among rural residents of China, and to examine the differences in the characteristics of people completing suicide with physical illness from those without physical illness. Method: In all, 200 suicide cases and 200 control subjects, 1:1 pair-matched on sex and age, were included from 25 townships of three randomly selected counties in Shandong Province, China. One informant for each suicide or control subject was interviewed to collect data on the physical health condition and psychological and sociodemographic status. Results: The prevalence of physical illness in suicide cases (63.0%) was significantly higher than that in paired controls (41.0%; χ2 = 19.39, p < .001). Compared with suicide cases without physical illness, people who were physically ill and completed suicide were generally older, less educated, had lower family income, and reported a mental disorder less often. Physical illness denoted a significant risk factor for suicide with an associated odds ratio of 3.23 (95% CI: 1.85–5.62) after adjusted for important covariates. The elevated risk of suicide increased progressively with the number of comorbid illnesses. Cancer, stroke, and a group of illnesses comprising dementia, hemiplegia, and encephalatrophy had a particularly strong effect among the commonly reported diagnoses in this study population. Conclusion: Physical illness is an important risk factor for suicide in rural residents of China. Efforts for suicide prevention are needed and should be integrated with national strategies of health care in rural China.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junya Arai ◽  
Jun Kato ◽  
Nobuo Toda ◽  
Ken Kurokawa ◽  
Chikako Shibata ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Impairment of activities of daily living (ADL) due to hemorrhagic gastroduodenal ulcers (HGU) has rarely been evaluated. We analyzed the risk factors of poor prognosis, including mortality and impairment of ADL, in patients with HGU. Methods In total, 582 patients diagnosed with HGU were retrospectively analyzed. Admission to a care facility or the need for home adaptations during hospitalization were defined as ADL decline. The clinical factors were evaluated: endoscopic features, need for interventional endoscopic procedures, comorbidities, symptoms, and medications. The risk factors of outcomes were examined with multivariate analysis. Results Advanced age (> 75 years) was a significant predictor of poor prognosis, including impairment of ADL. Additional significant risk factors were renal disease (odds ratio [OR] 3.43; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44–8.14) for overall mortality, proton pump inhibitor (PPIs) usage prior to hemorrhage (OR 5.80; 95% CI 2.08–16.2), and heart disease (OR 3.05; 95% CI 1.11–8.43) for the impairment of ADL. Analysis of elderly (> 75 years) subjects alone also revealed that use of PPIs prior to hemorrhage was a significant predictor for the impairment of ADL (OR 8.24; 95% CI 2.36–28.7). Conclusion In addition to advanced age, the presence of comorbidities was a risk of poor outcomes in patients with HGU. PPI use prior to hemorrhage was a significant risk factor for the impairment of ADL, both in overall HGU patients and in elderly patients alone. These findings suggest that the current strategy for PPI use needs reconsideration.


Author(s):  
P. Dubey ◽  
J. Shrivastava ◽  
B.P. Choubey ◽  
A. Agrawal ◽  
V. Thakur

BACKGROUND: Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is a common medical emergency in early neonatal period. Unconjugated bilirubin is neurotoxic and can lead to lifelong neurological sequelae in survivors. OBJECTIVE: To find out the association between serum bilirubin and neurodevelopmental outcome at 1 year of age using Development Assessment Scale for Indian Infants (DASII). METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics of a tertiary care institution of Central India between January 2018 and August 2019. Total 108 term healthy neonates, with at least one serum bilirubin value of >15 mg/dl, were included. Subjects were divided into three groups based on the serum bilirubin; group 1: (15–20 mg/dl) –85(78.7%) cases, group 2: (20–25 mg/dl) –17(15.7%), and group 3: (>25 mg/dl) –6(5.5%). Developmental assessment was done using DASII at 3, 6, 9, 12 months of age. RESULTS: Out of 108 cases, 101(93.5%) received phototherapy, and 7(6.5%) received double volume exchange transfusion. Severe delay was observed in 5(4.6%) and mild delay in 2(1.9%) cases in the motor domain of DASII at one year. Severe delay in the motor domain was associated with mean TSB of 27.940±2.89 mg/dl and mild delay with mean TSB of 22.75±1.76 mg/dl (p = 0.001). On cluster analysis, delay was observed in locomotion 1 score in 11(13%) cases (p = 0.003) and manipulation score in 6(7.1%) cases in group 1. CONCLUSION: Increased serum bilirubin was a significant risk factor for the delayed neurodevelopment in babies with neonatal jaundice. Even a moderate level of bilirubin significantly affects the developmental outcome.


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