[Nihon kōshū eisei zasshi] Japanese journal of public health
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Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi · Aug 2012
Comparative Study[Behavioral and psychological symptoms in elderly people with cognitive impairment. Differences between assessment at home and at an adult day-care facility].
In order for activities preventing cognitive decline in the elderly and burdens of the caregiver to be effective and efficient, it is important to assess cognitive impairment and the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in community-dwelling elderly people with cognitive impairment. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in BPSD between assessment at home and assessment at an adult day-care facility, and to assess the relationship, between BPSD and caregiver burden in disabled elderly people with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. ⋯ The scores of the BPSD and caregiver burden worsened with increasing severity of cognitive impairment, and the BPSD was more apparent when assessed at home compared to at the adult day-care facility. These findings suggest that the assessment of BPSD at home is important in determining MCI or dementia and to estimate caregiver burden in community-dwelling elderly people with basic ADL limitations.