International journal of geriatric psychiatry
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Dec 2017
Death wishes among older people assessed for home support and long-term aged residential care.
Death wishes in older people are common and may progress to suicidal ideation and attempts. This study used routinely collected data from the interRAI Home Care assessment to examine the prevalence and clinical predictors of death wishes in older New Zealanders assessed for home support and long-term aged residential care. ⋯ Clinically significant depression alone cannot fully account for the development of death wishes in the elderly, and several factors are independently associated with death wishes. This knowledge can help clinicians caring for older persons to identify people who are most at risk of developing death wishes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Oct 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialRivastigmine patch reduces the incidence of postoperative delirium in older patients with cognitive impairment.
To date, data regarding the efficacy of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in preventing postoperative delirium (POD) are inconsistent and conflicting. Older individuals with cognitive dysfunction are thought to show POD more frequently. Our aim was to study the effectiveness of rivastigmine prophylaxis on the incidence, severity, and risk factors for POD in older patients with cognitive impairment undergoing hip fracture surgery. ⋯ Perioperative rivastigmine patch application could reduce the occurrence of POD in older patients with low cognitive status. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Aug 2017
The survival and characteristics of older people with and without dementia who are hospitalised following intentional self-harm.
Characteristics of older people with and without dementia who are hospitalised following self-harm remains largely unexplored. This research compares the characteristics of older people with and without dementia who self-harm, compares associations of mental health-related diagnoses with those hospitalised for a self-harm and a non-self-harm injury and examines mortality by injury intent. ⋯ Dementia is associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation for self-harm in older people and worse outcomes. The high rate of coexistent mental health conditions suggests that interventions which reduce behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia might reduce self-harm in people with dementia. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Jul 2017
Reliability and validity of a self-administration version of DEMQOL-Proxy.
This study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of a self-administered version of DEMQOL-Proxy, a disease-specific instrument that measures health-related quality of life in people with dementia. ⋯ DEMQOL-Proxy (self-administered) has comparable acceptability, reliability and validity with DEMQOL-Proxy (interviewer administered). DEMQOL-Proxy (self-administered) can be used in a wider variety of contexts than its interviewer-administered version, including routine use in busy clinics. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · Jul 2017
Limited validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in dementia: evidence from a confirmatory factor analysis.
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a well-validated, self-report measure of both anxiety and depression. It is frequently used with people with dementia. However, its structural validity has never been examined in this population. The current study used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess this. ⋯ The HADS is acceptable and feasible but difficult to interpret in a dementia population. We suggest that it should be interpreted as measuring two separate factors of anxiety and depression and not one 'distress' factor. However, two items may need to be removed, affecting cut-off scores. Poor measurement invariance means the HADS may not be a good tool for measuring differences in anxiety and depression between those with mild and those with moderate cognitive impairment. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.