| 1. |
- Ericsson, Kjerstin, et al.
(author)
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Human-figure drawing (HFD) in the screening of cognitive impairment in old age
- 1996
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In: Journal of Medical Screening. - : SAGE Publications. - 0969-1413 .- 1475-5793. ; 3:2, s. 105-109
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE:The aim of the study is to test the hypothesis that freehand human-figure drawing (HFD), can be used as a complementary screening instrument to differentiate between demented elderly people and healthy elderly controls in population based studies.METHOD:HFD was examined in 668 elderly ( > or = 75 years of age) participants from an epidemiological study in Stockholm, who were asked to draw a human figure. The drawings were analysed on the content of body details and structural characteristics.RESULT:The results show quite clearly that the body details and the height decrease with decreasing cognitive function, whereas the centredness (the distance in cm from the centre of the figure to the centre of the paper) increases with decreasing cognitive functioning. Demented people place their figures in the upper left corner of the sheet, compared with the mostly well centred figures of non-demented people. Age, on the other hand, has an influence on the HFD as after 90 years of age most of the variables show regressive changes.CONCLUSION:The HFD can help to differentiate between demented and non-demented subjects as well as between dementia of different severity. The HFD does not help us, however, to discriminate between Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Age has an influence on the HFD in the sense that after 90 years most of the variables regress to a smaller or more primitive form.
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| 2. |
- Hillerås, Pernilla K, et al.
(author)
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Activity patterns in very old people : a survey of cognitively intact subjects aged 90 years or older
- 1999
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In: Age and Ageing. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0002-0729 .- 1468-2834. ; 28:2, s. 147-52
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AIM: to measure activity patterns in very old people, the factors related to this and the association of different types of activity with well-being.METHODS: a study of 105 people, aged 90 years or older, who were not cognitively impaired, living in Stockholm. The activities carried out during the previous day were recorded and each activity was rated.RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: the degrees of intellectual, social and physical activity are independent of each other. Very elderly people tended to have variable but relatively low activity levels over a day. Good health and not moving home were associated with greater intellectual activity. Extraversion and negative life events (such as death of close friend or family member) were associated with greater social activity, while relatively younger age and better health were associated with greater physical activity. There was positive association between physical activity and well-being.
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| 3. |
- Hillerås, Pernilla K, et al.
(author)
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Negative and positive affect among the very old : a survey on a sample age 90 years and older
- 1998
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In: Research on Aging. - : SAGE Publications. - 0164-0275 .- 1552-7573. ; 20:5, s. 593-610
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of the study was to measure positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA), and the factors that might influence these in the very elderly. The study involved 105 people, 90 years and older, who were not cognitively impaired, living in the inner part of Stockholm. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule was translated and used to measure affect. Results showed that PA and NA were virtually uncorrelated. Furthermore, it was also demonstrated that the factors that influence affect in the very elderly are similar to those influencing affect in younger ages and that personality traits are the major correlates of affect.
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| 4. |
- Kumlien, S, et al.
(author)
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Stroke patients ready for discharge from acute care - a multi-dimensional assessment of functions and further care
- 1999
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In: Disability and Rehabilitation. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0963-8288 .- 1464-5165. ; 21:1, s. 31-38
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe actual functions, performance of activities and needs of further care in patients with stroke in acute care wards at the time the physicians decided that the patients were ready for discharge, in relation to placement after discharge and the motives for the decision. Method: Thus 114 stroke patients in Stockholm County were assessed with the Resident Assessment Instrument, and the motives for further care were reviewed in the patients' case records. Results: The results showed that the oldest, most severely impaired stroke patients had the shortest mean length of stay before the physician considered the patients ready for discharge to nursing homes, where resources for long-term rehabilitation and stroke care vary. Conclusion: It is important to secure continuing adequate care and rehabilitation for elderly severely impaired stroke patients being discharged early from acute care hospitals.
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| 5. |
- Larsen, Joacim, et al.
(author)
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Health-related quality of life in women with breast cancer undergoing autologous stem-cell transplantation
- 1996
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In: Cancer Nursing. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0162-220X .- 1538-9804. ; 19:5, s. 368-375
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The functional capacity and the health-related quality of life were investigated in nine women (ages 23-58 years) undergoing high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT). Data were obtained by using two questionnaires: the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) and the Swedish Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (SWED-QUAL). The patients answered the questionnaires on three occasions: on admission to the transplant unit, at discharge from the unit, and 7-15 weeks after ASCT. It was found that the women were affected by the treatment in various dimensions of daily life. The transplantation primarily affected their self-rated physical health and functions. Their physical-health status was poorest at the time of discharge. The women's emotional status was found to be poor during the whole study period. The results of the present study indicate that professional nursing is essential for breast cancer patients undergoing ASCT.
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| 6. |
- Wengström, Yvonne, 1959-, et al.
(author)
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Effects of a nursing intervention on subjective distress, side effects and quality of life of breast cancer patients receiving curative radiation therapy : a randomized study
- 1999
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In: Acta Oncologica. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0284-186X .- 1651-226X. ; 38:6, s. 763-770
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of this randomized study was to investigate whether a nursing intervention using Orem's self-care theory as a framework would affect subjective distress, side effects and quality of life as perceived by breast cancer patients receiving curative radiation therapy. The intervention consisted of five 30-min sessions once a week during the treatment period and two follow-up sessions after completion of treatment. The experimental group consisted of 67 patients, as did the control group. Measurements were collected five times: at baseline before commencement of treatment, at weeks 3 and 5 (completion of treatment) and follow-up periods of 2 weeks and 3 months. No measurable effect of the nursing intervention was found for side effects or quality of life but nursing intervention proved to have a positive effect in minimizing stress reactions (p = < 0.05). It is suggested that a nursing intervention should be implemented for breast cancer patients receiving curative radiation therapy.
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| 7. |
- Agüero-Torres, H, et al.
(author)
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Dementia is the major cause of functional dependence in the elderly : 3-year follow-up data from a population-based study
- 1998
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In: American Journal of Public Health. - : American Public Health Association. - 0090-0036 .- 1541-0048. ; 88:10, s. 1452-1456
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this investigation was to study the role of dementia and other common age-related diseases as determinants of dependence in activities of daily living (ADL) in the elderly. METHODS: The study population consisted of 1745 persons, aged 75 years and older, living in a district of Stockholm. They were examined at baseline and after a 3-year follow-up interval. Katz's index was used to measure functional status. Functional dependence at baseline, functional decline, and development of functional dependence at follow-up were examined in relation to sociodemographic characteristics and chronic conditions. RESULTS: At baseline, factors associated with functional dependence were age, dementia, cerebrovascular disease, heart disease, and hip fracture. However, only age and dementia were associated with the development of functional dependence and decline after 3 years. In a similar analysis, including only nondemented subjects. Mini-Mental State Examination scores emerged as one of the strongest determinants. The population attributable risk percentage of dementia in the development of functional dependence was 49%. CONCLUSIONS: In a very old population, dementia and cognitive impairment make the strongest contribution to both the development of long-term functional dependence and decline in function.
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| 8. |
- Almqvist, C, et al.
(author)
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School as a risk environment for children allergic to cats and a site for transfer of cat allergen to homes
- 1999
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In: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : Elsevier. - 0091-6749 .- 1097-6825. ; 103:6, s. 1012-1017
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Many children are allergic to furred pets and avoid direct pet contact. The school may be a site of indirect exposure to pet allergens, which may induce or maintain symptoms of allergic diseases.OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate airborne levels of cat allergen (Fel d 1) at schools and in homes with or without cats and to study clothes as a route for dissemination of allergens between homes and school.METHODS: Airborne cat allergen was collected with personal samplers from (1) children attending classes with many (>25%) or few (<10%) cat owners and (2) homes with or without cats. A recently developed amplified ELISA assay, which detects low levels of airborne cat allergen in pet-free environments, was used. Dust samples were collected from clothes and mattresses.RESULTS: There was a 5-fold difference in the median levels of airborne cat allergen between classes with many and few cat owners (2.94 vs 0.59 ng/m3; P <.001). The median airborne cat allergen concentration in classes with many cat owners was significantly higher than that found in the homes of non-cat owners (P <.001) but lower than that found in homes with cats (P <.001). Allergen levels in non-cat owners' clothes increased after a school day (P <.001). Non-cat owners in classes with many cat owners had higher levels of mattress-bound cat allergen (P =.01).CONCLUSION: The results indicate significant exposure to cat allergen at school. Allergen is spread through clothing from homes with cats to classrooms. There the allergen is dispersed in air and contaminates the clothes of children without cats. The allergen levels in non-cat owners' homes correlate with exposure to cat allergen at school.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Egmar, Ann-Charlotte, et al.
(author)
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Cat and dog allergen in mattresses and textile covered floors of homes which do or do not have pets, either in the past or currently
- 1998
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In: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0905-6157 .- 1399-3038. ; 9:1, s. 31-35
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to measure the levels of cat and dog allergen in homes of families that had either never kept pets or kept or had kept cats or dogs. From a small residential area outside Stockholm consisting of 250 houses with similar exteriors 70 homes were included. Dust samples were collected from mattresses and textile-covered floors. The levels of cat and dog allergen were analysed by ELISA. Fel d1 was found in mattress dust in all 70 homes, median 0.5 micrograms/g [0.24-8.89 micrograms/g (quartiles)] and textile-covered floors 0.7 micrograms/g (0.20-2.52 micrograms/g). Can f1, was found in 98% of the collected samples, mattress dust 1.89 micrograms/g (0.70-9.20 micrograms/g) and textile-covered floor dust 2.5 micrograms/g (1.04-2.72 micrograms/g). There was a positive correlation (p < 0.001) between allergen levels in dust from mattresses and textile-covered floors for both Fel d1 (r = 0.68) and Can f1 (r = 0.78). The highest levels of cat and dog allergen were found in homes with furred pets (p < 0.001). A significant (p < 0.001) difference was seen in the levels of Fel d1 and Can f1 between the homes of former pet-owners and homes without pets. In summary; cat and dog allergens are present in homes regardless of whether such animals live in the house or not. Mattresses seem to be an underestimated reservoir for pet allergens even in homes without pets. It is important to note that the homes of former pet owners have much lower levels of allergen than current pet owners.
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