The opportunity costs of caring for people with dementia in Southern Spain

Objective

The aim of this paper is to study the opportunity costs (OC) that are involved in being a caregiver and to compare them with the direct costs assumed by the State and the families. We evaluate direct cost (those that imply a payment-out-of-pocket) and indirect cost (those that imply a dedication in time). We hypothesized that costs increase with the severity of the dementia, with the educational level and active occupational situation of caregiver. They are greater if the caregiver is male, but if the patient and caregiver cohabit they are reduced.

Relocation mortality in dementia: The effects of a new hospital

Relocation mortality has been cited as an important factor when considering the placement of elderly patients. This study describes the fate of dementia patients relocated to facilitate the move to a new hospital. Some wards were moved as intact units—that is, the patients were kept together and there was little change in the nursing or medical staff. Two other wards were closed, and these patients were dispersed to several existing and new wards and experienced changes of nursing and medical staff. All patients underwent prerelocation and postrelocation orientation programmes. The mortality figures for the total patient group before and after the relocation do not show any statistically significant increase in mortality postrelocation. However, for wards that were closed and where the patients suffered maximum disruption to patient group and nursing staff, there was a significant increase in mortality rates.     

Aggressive behaviour in elderly people with dementia: A review

The progressive degeneration of the brain seen in dementia is often accompanied by behavioural disturbances. Aggressive behaviour is one of the most serious of these disturbances and is a common cause for psychiatric referral, admission to hospital and drug treatment. In this article, we discuss the conceptual issues associated with defining aggressive behaviour in cognitively impaired patients. We then review the aetiology, epidemiology, methods of assessment, and management of aggressive behaviour in elderly people with dementia.     

血清泌乳素水平与帕金森病痴呆的相关性研究

目的探讨帕金森病痴呆（PDD）患者及帕金森病（PD）与血清泌乳素（PRL）的关系。方法测定30例在我院门诊体检中心进行体检的正常健康老人（正常对照组）,PD非痴呆患者（PD组）30例及帕金森病痴呆（PDD组）患者30例的血清PRL水平。并采用简明智能状况评价量表（MMSE）把PD患者分别划为痴呆组和非痴呆组。分别比较各组的血清PRL水平。结果PD非痴呆组者的血清PRL平均水平为6．49±67μg/L,低于正常对照组11．77±2．38μg/L；PDD组平均PRL水平为1．94±0．83μg/L,明显低于PD非痴呆组6．49±1．67μg/L。结论PDD患者的血清PRL水平是降低的。PDD患者的痴呆表现越重,血清PRL水平越低,二者呈高度相关。     

NMDA受体介导了加兰他敏对阿尔茨海默病大鼠认知功能的改善

目的研究加兰他敏对阿尔茨海默病(AD)大鼠认知功能的影响及NMDA受体在其中的作用。方法雄性SD大鼠65只,随机分为假手术、链脲菌素(STZ)组,加兰他敏、MK-801和犬尿烯酸3个治疗组。侧脑室注射STZ制备大鼠AD模型,水迷宫试验测定大鼠的学习记忆能力。3个治疗组分别给予加兰他敏、MK-801 加兰他敏、犬尿烯酸 加兰他敏,共6周。结果术后第10天各组潜伏期明显延长,过平台次数明显减少,差异均无统计学意义。治疗6周后加兰他敏组潜伏期缩短,过平台次数增加,与STZ组比较,有显著差异,而MK-801和犬尿烯酸组潜伏期和过平台次数与STZ组比较,无明显差异。结论加兰他敏对AD大鼠的认知功能具有明显的改善作用,而应用NMDA受体阻断剂后其治疗作用消失。说明NMDA受体介导了加兰他敏对AD大鼠认知功能的改善。     

Disturbed behaviour in dementia sufferers: A comparison of three nursing home settings

In order to determine whether a specialist psychogeriatric nursing home was fulfilling its intended role of caring for the most behaviourally disturbed dementia sufferers, 24 of its demented residents were compared with 28 demented individuals discharged from a psychiatric unit to ordinary nursing homes and 30 mobile dementia sufferers in nursing home wards of a geriatric centre. Those in the psychogeriatric nursing home showed more disturbed behaviours than those in the other two settings. Scores on the Rating Scale for Aggressive Behaviour in the Elderly were compared with degree of cognitive impairment for the first time in the literature and showed no correlation with degree of cognitive impairment for the first time in the literature and showed no correlation with congnitive performance.     

The structure of wandering in dementia

‘Wandering’ is one of the most troublesome of behavioural problems in dementia. The term ‘wandering’ covers many different types of behaviour. We examined the hypothesis that the different types of wandering behaviour seen in dementia from a scale using data collected on 83 elderly subjects suffering from either Alzheimer's disease or multiinfarct dementia. We reject the scaling hypothesis. Our data suggest that there are three main categories of wandering behaviour, and that one of these categories is usefully divided into four subcategories.     

Ethical Reasoning Among Registered Nurses Experienced in Dementia Care

Abstract. Registered nurses regarded as “experienced and good” in dementia care were interviewed about the feeding of a severely demented patient who showed refusal-like feeding behaviour. Not one of the twenty nurses could see herself using force against her patients. Most interviewees justified their decisions to feed a severely demented patient and answered questions about whether they would change their minds if there were certain circumstances in terms of words that could be interpreted as referring to the ethical principle of beneficence. The nurses stressed the difficulty to understand the meaning of severely demented patients' feeding behaviour and decide when force-feeding occurs. When asked to rank ethical principles of importance for the decision, however, the most common answer was that they would give priority to the ethical principle of autonomy. The nurses did not see the ethical principles as separate entities, that could be applied one by one, but tried to integrate them into a whole. The findings of this study were interpreted as indicating that principled ethics is not an adequate model to describe experienced nurses' ethical reasoning.     

中药聪脑汤治疗老年性痴呆的临床研究

目的:比较聪脑汤和双益平(石衫碱甲)片剂治疗老年性痴呆(阿尔茨海默病,Alzheimerdisease,AD)的疗效。方法:35例AD病人随机分为2组,聪脑汤组20例,双益平组15例;分别给予聪脑汤50ml,口服,日3次和双益平片剂0.15mg,口服,日2次,两组疗程均为8w。结果:与治疗前相比,两组长谷川痴呆量表(HDS-R)积分均有显著性改善(P<0.05),聪脑汤组和双益平组总有效率分别为75%和73.4%,两组比较差异无显著性。结论:聪脑汤对AD临床症状有一定改善作用。     

Binswanger's disease in the absence of chronic arterial hypertension

Summary The cerebral changes are described in a woman of 54 who suffered from Binswanger's encephalopathy: there were no signs or symptoms of chronic arterial hypertension. The disease presented as dementia of about 3 years duration. Computed tomography of the brain 2. 5 years before her death showed bilateral widespread hypodense lesions in the cerebral white matter. She died of an asthmatic attack. Autopsy disclosed extensive bilateral degeneration of the central white matter, lacunes and gliosis. Severe obliterative arteriolosclerosis occurred in the meningeal vessels and those supplying the affected parts of the brain. Light microscopy showed that the most severe lesions occurred in the arterioles. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated profound extravasation of plasma proteins chiefly albumin, indicating dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier. Thus, the lesions characteristic of Binswanger's encephalopathy may develop in the absence of chronic arterial hypertension. Additional pathogenic factors, possibly genetic predisposition to vascular injury may play a role in the development of this condition.Supported by grants from the Swedish Medical Research Council, Project No 12X-03020 and 1987 Års Stiftelse för Strokeforskning