The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
-
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Dec 2005
Randomized Controlled TrialDonepezil in the prevention and treatment of post-surgical delirium.
Delirium is a frequent complication of major surgery in older persons. The authors evaluated the possible benefit of donepezil versus placebo in the prevention and treatment of postoperative delirium in an older population without dementia undergoing elective total joint-replacement surgery. ⋯ This pilot study was unable to demonstrate a benefit for donepezil in preventing or treating delirium in a relatively young and cognitively-intact group of elderly patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery. Furthermore, postoperative delirium was not a major problem in this population.
-
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Nov 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyDivalproex sodium in nursing home residents with possible or probable Alzheimer Disease complicated by agitation: a randomized, controlled trial.
Three placebo-controlled clinical trials have suggested the benefit of valproate for treatment of agitation associated with dementia; one was used as the basis for this multicenter trial, conducted by the Alzheimer's Disease (AD) Cooperative Study. It addresses the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of divalproex sodium for the treatment of agitation associated with dementia. ⋯ This multicenter trial showed no benefit of divalproex sodium for treatment for agitation in dementia at a mean dose of 800 mg/day over 6 weeks. The results do not support findings from previous trials indicating possible benefit.
-
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Nov 2005
Factor analysis of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory in three large samples of nursing home patients with dementia and behavioral disturbance.
Limited work has addressed the construct validity of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI) in nursing home patients. The authors tested the CMAI factor structure by use of data from three samples of nursing home patients categorized a priori as having at least mild behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. ⋯ Four factors emerged on the CMAI in nursing home patients with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. The results obtained converge reasonably with previous publications concerning the factor structure of the CMAI, which, taken together, suggest a fairly robust factor structure for the instrument.
-
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Sep 2005
Proposed geriatric psychiatry core competencies for subspecialty training.
The authors present and discuss the theoretical and practical development of proposed core competencies for subspecialty training and certification in geriatric psychiatry as required by the Accreditation Council For Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). Changes were derived from a concern that graduate medical education programs must do a better job of ensuring that residents completing their training are competent to practice medicine and adequately prepared to practice in a rapidly changing healthcare environment. Between July 2006 and June 2011, programs will be expected to focus on data-driven measures, both internal and national, for resident and education-program performance. After July 2011, programs will begin to focus on identifying and developing educational centers of excellence.
-
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Sep 2005
Comparative StudyCaregiver self-efficacy, ethnicity, and kinship differences in dementia caregivers.
The authors sought to determine the effect of kinship status (daughters versus wives) and ethnicity (Hispanic/Latino versus Caucasian) on self-efficacy to perform tasks relevant to caregiving in a sample of family caregivers for people with memory problems. ⋯ Higher self-efficacy among Hispanic/Latino caregivers may relate to cultural values about caregiving and/or ethnic differences in appraisal. Wives may be more at risk for low self-efficacy, which may relate to greater role frustration and distress. This study highlights the heterogeneity among caregivers in their experience of caregiving.