scholarly journals Awareness for People With Alzheimer’s Disease: Profiles and Weekly Trajectories

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amandine Mayelle ◽  
Capucine Hazebrouck ◽  
Mohamad El Haj ◽  
Daniel C. Mograbi ◽  
Pascal Antoine
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Interindividual Variability ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Disease Awareness ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Underlying Processes

Objective: To understand awareness and fluctuations of awareness in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), it is fruitful to consider the objects of awareness, e.g., cognitive functioning or recognition of the disease, as well as the mechanisms and modes of expression underlying awareness. With a holistic and discourse-centered approach, we aimed to identify different awareness profiles and test whether these profiles were stable or whether transitions from one profile to another occurred over short time intervals.Methods: Twenty-eight residents of nursing homes with a diagnosis of AD participated in four semistructured interviews at biweekly intervals. These interviews were cluster analyzed to determine profiles of awareness. A Markov chain was applied to model their fluctuation.Results: Five awareness profiles were observed that differed in terms of objects and underlying processes. Awareness proved to be quite stable for four of the five profiles. Interindividual variability in awareness was also observed through numerous different trajectories that were identified.Discussion: Self-awareness and disease awareness are characterized by profiles that vary subtly between individuals. Fluctuations in awareness underscore the need to employ assessment intervals that closely reflect daily life in institutions.

[IC-P-149]: LACK OF SELF-AWARENESS OF COGNITIVE DEFICITS IN ALZHEIMER's DISEASE IS RELATED TO DECREASED METABOLISM IN THE POSTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (7S_Part_2) ◽  
pp. P112-P113
Author(s):  
Joseph Therriault ◽  
Tharick A. Pascoal ◽  
Kok Pin Ng ◽  
Sulantha S. Mathotaarachchi ◽  
Min Su Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Posterior Cingulate

Clinical Dementia Rating: A Reliable and Valid Diagnostic and Staging Measure for Dementia of the Alzheimer Type

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (S1) ◽  
pp. 173-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Alzheimer Type ◽  
Clinical Dementia Rating ◽  
Assessment Measure ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Washington University ◽  
Brief Screening

Global staging measures for dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) assess the influence of cognitive loss on the ability to conduct everyday activities and represent the “ultimate test” of efficacy for antidementia drug trials. They provide information about clinically meaningful function and behavior and are less affected by the “floor” and “ceiling” effects commonly associated with psychometric test. The Washington University Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) is a global scale developed to clinically denote the presence of DAT and stage its severity. The clinical protocol incorporates semistructured interviews with the patient and informant to obtain information necessary to rate the subject's cognitive performance in six domains: memory, orientation, judgment and problem solving, community affairs, home and hobbies, and personal care. The CDR has been standardized for multicenter use, including the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) and the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study, and interrater reliability has been established. Criterion validity for both the global CDR and scores on individual domains has been demonstrated, and the CDR also has been validated neuropathologically, particularly for the presence or absence of dementia. Standardized training protocols are available. Although not well suited as a brief screening tool for population surveys of dementia because the protocol depends on sufficient time to conduct interviews, the CDR has become widely accepted in the clinical setting as a reliable and valid global assessment measure for DAT.

scholarly journals Cognitive anosognosia and behavioral changes in probable Alzheimer's disease patients

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina Satler ◽  
Carlos Tomaz
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Functional Abilities ◽  
Neuropsychological Battery ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Study Objective

ABSTRACT Anosognosia, impairment insight and unawareness of deficits are used as equivalent terms in this study. Objective: To investigate the relationship between the presence of anosognosia symptoms and cognitive domains, functional abilities, and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (pAD) and elderly controls (EC). Methods: Twenty-one pAD (14 women) and twenty-two EC (16 women) were submitted to a neuropsychological battery of tests assessing global cognitive status, and specific cognitive functions: memory, executive and attention functions, verbal fluency and visuoconstructive abilities. Additionally, functional abilities (FAQ) and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPI) were measured. Results: The linear regression statistical test found general anosognosia to be associated with subjective memory complaints, age and Arithmetic-DRS in the EC group. On the other hand, cognitive and functional abilities scores (Arithmetic- DRS, IQCODE and FAQ) were the best predictors in pAD patients, particularly for behavioral awareness. Conclusion: These results indicated that different variables are associated with self-awareness for pAD patients and EC, but for both groups executive functions appear to play an important role, contributing particularly to awareness of behavioral changes.

[P2-476]: LACK OF SELF-AWARENESS OF COGNITIVE DEFICITS IN ALZHEIMER's DISEASE IS RELATED TO DECREASED METABOLISM IN THE POSTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (7S_Part_16) ◽  
pp. P822-P823
Author(s):  
Joseph Therriault ◽  
Tharick A. Pascoal ◽  
Kok Pin Ng ◽  
Sulantha S. Mathotaarachchi ◽  
Min Su Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Posterior Cingulate

Neuromotor Changes in Alzheimer's Disease: Implications for Patient Care

1997 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 93-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liduïn E.M. Souren ◽  
Emile H. Franssen ◽  
Barry Reisberg
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Care Management ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Behavioral Disturbances ◽  
Severe Stage ◽  
Neuromotor Function

As a result of the neuropathologic process of Alzheimer's disease (AD), significant changes occur in neuromotor function (e.g., paratonia and compulsive grasping). These changes become manifest in the moderately severe stage of AD, when patients begin to require ongoing assistance with activities of daily life (ADL), and they are prominent in the severe stage of AD, when patients are continuously dependent on a caregiver. Patients in these stages often display behavioral disturbances during care activities. These disturbing behaviors result not only from cognitive impairment, but also from a patient's physical inability to cooperate with the caregiver. When care management strategies take into account the characteristic physical restrictions resulting from the neuromotor changes that accompany advanced AD, the caregiving process may be significantly facilitated.

scholarly journals The Experience of Alzheimer’s Disease as a Learning Situation

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 220-237
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Dubas
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Adult Education ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Family Carers ◽  
Learning Situation ◽  
Informal Process

The author shows Alzheimer’s disease as a learning situation, from the andragogic perspective and in the context of experience analysis of three family carers. She describes this learning as an informal process. She also points to the dramatic aspect of accompanying the patient on their journey as an important background to this process. She emphasizes “maturation in a process” as a particular dimension of this learning which deepens the existential development of the carers. She stresses the importance of support for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease by adult education and geragogy specialists, which enables carers to experience the disease as a process of broadening their self-awareness.

scholarly journals Experience of People in Mild and Moderate Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease in Spain

Aquichan ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Jorge Riquelme-Galindo ◽  
Sofía García-Sanjuán ◽  
Manuel Lillo-Crespo ◽  
Maria-Antonia Martorell-Poveda
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Natural Aging ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Descriptive Phenomenology ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Moderate Dementia ◽  
Adaptation Processes

Objective: To analyze the meaning of dementia by those affected by it, and to give them a voice. Material and methods: Descriptive phenomenology through interviews with people of both genders who are over 50 years old and living in Tarragona (Spain), with a diagnosis of mild or moderate dementia, mainly related to Alzheimer’s disease. Results: Three main themes emerged: 1) normalization of memory loss in early stages as part of the natural aging process; 2) self-awareness of progressive memory decline, which is concealed from others, and 3) adaptation processes and strategies to coexist with their condition after diagnosis. Conclusions: The most evident features were the lack of specialized infrastructures within the health system in terms of care, prevention programs, and early detection.

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