The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
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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.
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Authors performed a neuropsychological determination of which individuals in a group of community-dwelling, healthy elderly volunteers would develop cognitive decline. ⋯ Cognitive measures may be useful in community and clinical dementia screening and applicable for identifying enriched samples for trials of anti-dementia treatments.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Jun 2005
Serum anticholinergic activity and cognition in patients with moderate-to-severe dementia.
The authors investigated the association between serum anticholinergic activity (SAA) and cognitive performance in a group of patients with moderate-to-severe dementia. ⋯ This study extends to patients with moderate-to-severe dementia the finding that higher SAA is associated with lower cognitive performance.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Jun 2005
Neuropsychiatric symptoms and quality of life in Alzheimer disease.
Authors examined the impact of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer disease (AD) patients' and caregivers' quality of life (QOL) and assessed the relationship of caregiver distress to neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregiver QOL. ⋯ Neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD patients adversely affect both patient and caregiver QOL. These results suggest that identifying and treating neuropsychiatric symptoms in AD may improve both patient and caregiver QOL.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Mar 2005
Duloxetine for the treatment of major depressive disorder in older patients.
The efficacy and safety of duloxetine, a dual reuptake inhibitor of serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE), were evaluated in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and associated pain symptoms in patients age 55 and older. ⋯ In these two investigations, duloxetine 60 mg/day was an efficacious treatment for MDD and also alleviated pain symptoms in depression patients age 55 and older.