International journal of geriatric psychiatry
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Feb 2009
Clinical validity of Fuld Object Memory Evaluation to screen for dementia in a Chinese society.
Fuld Object Memory Evaluation (FOME) evaluates the episodic memory functions of encoding, storage, and recall across five recall trials and a delayed recall trial. This study examined the clinical validity of FOME as a screening tool for dementia in older Chinese adults. ⋯ The results suggest that the FOME is a reliable and valid instrument to screen for dementia in older community-dwelling Chinese adults. The absence of the effects of education on the assessment performance makes FOME a clinically useful instrument for older adults with limited education.
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Feb 2009
Understanding care of people with dementia in Spain: cohabitation arrangements, rotation and rejection to long term care institution.
Most people with dementia in Spain live at home with their families. Current changes in the family structure are transforming the care of people with dementia through new cohabitation arrangenments and rotation practices. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that rotation has appeared in Spain as a new mechanism of care for people with dementia, and its related to the rejection of long term care institutions.
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Dec 2008
Quantifying the association between computerised measures of attention and confusion assessment method defined delirium: a prospective study of older orthopaedic surgical patients, free of dementia.
To determine whether attentional impairments are reliable neuropsychological markers of delirium. ⋯ To date the absence of any well validated neuropsychological markers of delirium has hindered progress of research of delirium. The data within this study suggest key indices of attention and in particular fluctuating cognition may offer excellent discriminative utility for this clinically important condition.
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Dec 2008
A revisit on older adults suicides and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in Hong Kong.
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 had an enormous impact on Hong Kong society and the suicide rate was also at its historical high, 18.6 per 100,000. The most significant increase was found among the older adults aged 65 or above. ⋯ The SARS epidemic was associated with an increase in older adults' suicide rate in April 2003 and some suicide deaths in June 2003 might have been brought forward. Moreover, an increase in the annual older adults' suicide rate in 2003 was observed and the rate in 2004 did not return to the level of 2002. Loneliness and disconnectedness among the older adults in the community were likely to be associated with the excess older adults' suicides in 2003. Maintaining and enhancing mental well being of the public over the period of epidemic is as important as curbing the spread of the epidemic. Attention and effort should also be made to enhance the community's ability to manage fear and anxiety, especially in vulnerable groups over the period of epidemic to prevent tragic and unnecessary suicide deaths.
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Dec 2008
Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation among older adults receiving home delivered meals.
Homebound older adults may be vulnerable to the deleterious impact of untreated depression. Yet because these elders are difficult to reach, there is little data on the rates of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation among this group. The objective of this study is to document the rates of depression and correlates among a population of homebound elders. ⋯ More than one in nine elders suffer from depression; most are untreated with one-third undertreated. Through partnerships between public agencies that provide age related services and academic investigators there is an opportunity for improved detection of unmet mental health needs. Future research should explore innovative models to improve access to mental health services once unmet need is detected.