Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
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Multicenter Study
Caring for a Person With Dementia on the Margins of Long-Term Care: A Perspective on Burden From 8 European Countries.
To explore associations between carer burden and characteristics of (1) the informal carer, (2) the person with dementia, and (3) the care support network in 8 European countries. ⋯ A range of factors are associated with burden in informal carers of people with dementia judged to be on the margins of LTC. Support for informal carers needs to take account of gender differences. The dual challenges of distressed behaviors and difficulties in ADLs by the person with dementia may be addressed by specific nonpharmacological interventions focusing on both elements. The potential protective effect of additional informal support to carers highlights the importance of peer support or better targeted home support services. The implementation of appropriate and tailored interventions to reduce burden by supporting informal carers may enable people with dementia to remain at home for longer.
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Depression increases disability and health care utilization in older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). ⋯ Presence of high depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with subsequent moderate-severe exacerbations and hospital admissions in patients with COPD over 3 years, independent of a history of exacerbations and other demographic and clinical factors. Targeted personalized medicine that focuses both on AECOPD risk and depression may be a step forward to improving prognosis of patients with COPD.