Preventing Alzheimer's Wandering

With increased life expectancy, the incidence of age-related cognitive impairments, faced by the elderly and older generations, is growing. Among the population with cognitive impairments, those that suffer from Alzheimer's disease are the most common. The Alzheimer's disease is a chronic degenerative brain disorder that is characterised by a failure of memory and, in some instances, by disorders in language, perception and planning. As a consequence of the progressive damages imposed by the illness, patients will increasingly seek and need assistance. This paper presents a tool to aid the development and managing of caregiving communities, comprising immediate family members, relatives, neighbours and healthcare professionals, to assist patients with Alzheimer's disease. Such communities could have a strong impact on the quality of care provided to the patients. At the same time, it is hoped that involving communities will significantly improve the quality of life of Alzheimer's patients and their families while reducing the costs related to the care provided.

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Preventing Alzheimer’s Wandering

International Journal of Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics ◽

10.4018/ijhisi.2013100103 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 32-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sara Paiva ◽

Rui Peleja ◽

Jorge Cunha ◽

Carlos Abreu

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Cognitive Impairments ◽

The Elderly ◽

Strong Impact ◽

Brain Disorder ◽

Age Related

With increased life expectancy, the incidence of age-related cognitive impairments, faced by the elderly and older generations, is growing. Among the population with cognitive impairments, those that suffer from Alzheimer’s disease are the most common. The Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic degenerative brain disorder that is characterised by a failure of memory and, in some instances, by disorders in language, perception and planning. As a consequence of the progressive damages imposed by the illness, patients will increasingly seek and need assistance. This paper presents a tool to aid the development and managing of caregiving communities, comprising immediate family members, relatives, neighbours and healthcare professionals, to assist patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Such communities could have a strong impact on the quality of care provided to the patients. At the same time, it is hoped that involving communities will significantly improve the quality of life of Alzheimer's patients and their families while reducing the costs related to the care provided.

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Impact of Alzheimer’s disease on the quality of life and daily activities of the elderly

10.5327/1516-3180.217 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Daniele Sutherland W. Rizziolli ◽

Ana Maria Ramos Miranda ◽

Andressa Schimidt do Nascimento ◽

Cristiane dos Santos Lima ◽

Jade Menezes Maia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

The Elderly ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Strong Impact ◽

Mesh Terms ◽

Final Sample ◽

The Impact

Introduction: With the increase in life expectancy, there is an increase in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Characterized by being a degenerative and irreversible neurological disease, that leads to developing a dependence for daily activities. Objective:To analyze the impact of AD on the quality of life and daily activities of the elderly. Methodology:Integrative literature review, with bibliographic survey carried out on an international basis (PUBMED). Criteria for the selection of articles was: be published in English, in the period 2018-2020, available in full, whose theme was “Impacts on the quality of life that AD causes in the elderly”. Results: For the sample of this review 59 articles were selected, of which 48 articles were not specific to the topic, leaving a final sample of 11 articles included in the review. Identifying that AD has a strong impact on patient’s quality of life, such as reduced autonomy and dependence on daily activities. Conclusion: It was observed that there is a reduction in the quality of life of patients with AD, related to loss of autonomy and dependence in daily activities. Mesh- Terms: Degenerative Disease, Aged, Insanity.

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Impact of physical exercise on quality of life of older adults with depression or Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review

Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy ◽

10.1590/2237-6089-2013-0064 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 134-139 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Bianca Boscarino Tavares ◽

Helena Moraes ◽

Andrea Camaz Deslandes ◽

Jerson Laks

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Physical Exercise ◽

The Elderly ◽

Pharmacological Intervention ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Control Groups

INTRODUCTION: Physical exercise has been associated with improvement of quality of live (QoL), but its effect among the elderly with depression and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is still unclear. This systematic review evaluated randomized and controlled studies about the effect of physical exercise on QoL of older individuals with a clinical diagnosis of depression and AD.METHODS:We searched PubMed, ISI, SciELO and Scopus from December 2011 to June 2013 using the following keywords: physical exercise, quality of life, elderly, depression, Alzheimer's disease. Only six studies met inclusion criteria: two examined patients with AD and four, patients with depression.RESULTS: The studies used different methods to prescribe exercise and evaluate QoL, but all had high quality methods. Findings of most studies with individuals with depression suggested that exercise training improved QoL, but studies with patients with AD had divergent results.CONCLUSIONS: Although different methods were used, results suggested that physical exercise is an effective non-pharmacological intervention to improve the QoL of elderly individuals with depression and AD. Future studies should investigate the effect of other factors, such as the use of specific scales for the elderly, controlled exercise prescriptions and type of control groups.

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Impact of the Severity of Alzheimer’s Disease on the Quality of Life, Activities of Daily Living, and Caregiving Costs for Institutionalized Patients on Anti-Alzheimer Medications in Japan

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-201514 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Takumi Ashizawa ◽

Ataru Igarashi ◽

Yukinori Sakata ◽

Mie Azuma ◽

Kenichi Fujimoto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Activities Of Daily Living ◽

Daily Living ◽

The Elderly ◽

The Mean ◽

Institutionalized Patients ◽

The Impact

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) increases societal costs and decreases the activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QoL) of the affected individuals. Objective: We assess the impact of AD severity on ADL, QoL, and caregiving costs in Japanese facilities for the elderly. Methods: Patients with AD in facilities for the elderly were included (47 facilities, N = 3,461). The QoL, ADL, and disease severity of patients were assessed using Barthel Index (BI), EuroQoL-5D-5L (EQ-5D-5L), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), respectively. Annual caregiving costs were estimated using patients’ claims data. The patients were subcategorized into the following three groups according to the MMSE score: mild (21≤MMSE≤30), moderate (11≤MMSE≤20), and severe (0≤MMSE≤10). Changes among the three groups were evaluated using the Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Results: Four hundred and one participants were on anti-AD medicines, of whom 287 (age: 86.1±6.4 years, 76.7% women) in the mild (n = 53, 84.0±6.9 years, 71.7%), moderate (n = 118, 86.6±5.9 years, 76.3%), and severe (n = 116, 86.6±6.5 years, 79.3%) groups completed the study questionnaires. The mean BI and EQ-5D-5L scores for each group were 83.6, 65.1, and 32.8 and 0.801, 0.662, and 0.436, respectively. The mean annual caregiving costs were 2.111, 2.470, and 2.809 million JPY, respectively. As AD worsened, the BI and EQ-5D-5L scores decreased and annual caregiving costs increased significantly. Conclusion: AD severity has an impact on QoL, ADL, and caregiving costs.

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Factors associated with quality of life in the perspective of the elderly caregiver with Alzheimer's disease

Bioscience Journal ◽

10.14393/bj-v36n1a2020-42034 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Clélia Santana Reis Damasio ◽

Adélia Dalva da Silva Oliveira ◽

Ana Maria Ribeiro Santos ◽

Camila Aparecida Pinheiro Landim Almeida

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

The Elderly ◽

Factors Associated

Este estudo teve como objetivo conhecer os fatores associados à qualidade de vida (QV) de cuidadores de idosos diagnosticados com doença de Alzheimer na perspectiva desses indivíduos. Foi um estudo descritivo, com abordagem qualitativa, baseado no método do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo. Vinte cuidadores de idosos com diagnóstico de doença de Alzheimer participaram, durante um mês, no período de 18 de setembro a 18 de outubro de 2017. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas com cuidadores de idosos com doença de Alzheimer. As perguntas foram feitas e gravadas em gravador, com a permissão do entrevistado. Os dados foram analisados pela Classificação Hierárquica Descendente (DHC). Foram obtidas cinco classes: Conceito de qualidade de vida do cuidador idoso; Comportamento do idoso com Alzheimer; Problemas de memória do idosos e repercussões no trabalho do cuidador; Mudança no estilo de vida do cuidador familiar; e Repercussão de "ser cuidador" na qualidade de vida. A QV esteve relacionada a uma série de fatores (emocional, físico, financeiro, estado da doença dos idosos e o grau de conhecimento do cuidador sobre a doença). Os cuidadores apontaram que a não harmonia entre esses fatores pode ser crucial para afetar sua vida pessoal e profissional, bem como sua QV.

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Quality of life and quality of care: A pilot mobile app to promote the psychosocial well‐being of informal caregivers of older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Alzheimer s & Dementia ◽

10.1002/alz.038848 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (S7) ◽

Author(s):

Kathy Lee ◽

Justyn Jaworski ◽

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Older Adults ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Quality Of Care ◽

Informal Caregivers ◽

Well Being ◽

Mobile App

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Deep Assessment: A Novel Framework for Improving the Care of People with Very Advanced Alzheimer’s Disease

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2015/749451 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Gordon Lyons ◽

Michael Arthur-Kelly ◽

Ami Eidels ◽

Aimee Mavratzakis

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Best Practice ◽

Cognitive Impairments ◽

Self Report ◽

Reflex Modulation ◽

State Observation ◽

Assessment Approach

Best practice in understanding and caring for people with advanced Alzheimer’s disease presents extraordinary challenges. Their severe and deteriorating cognitive impairments are such that carers find progressive difficulty in authentically ascertaining and responding to interests, preferences, and needs. Deep assessment, a novel multifaceted framework drawn from research into the experiences of others with severe cognitive impairments, has potential to empower carers and other support professionals to develop an enhanced understanding of people with advanced Alzheimer’s disease and so deliver better calibrated care in attempts to maximize quality of life. Deep assessment uses a combination of techniques, namely, Behaviour State Observation, Triangulated Proxy Reporting, and Startle Reflex Modulation Measurement, to deliver a comprehensive and deep assessment of the inner states (awareness, preferences, likes, and dislikes) of people who cannot reliably self-report. This paper explains deep assessment and its current applications. It then suggests how it can be applied to people with advanced Alzheimer’s disease to develop others’ understanding of their inner states and to help improve their quality of life. An illustrative hypothetical vignette is used to amplify this framework. We discuss the potential utility and efficacy of this technique for this population and we also propose other human conditions that may benefit from research using a deep assessment approach.

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