| 1. |
- Westius, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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View of life in persons with dementia
- 2009
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Ingår i: Dementia. - London : Sage. - 1471-3012 .- 1741-2684. ; 8:4, s. 481-499
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To study the view of life in dementia. The view of life of an individual is defined as a conception of reality, a central system of values and a basic emotional attitude.Method: Interviews with persons (N = 21) with mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. The interview data were interpreted with a phenomenological hermeneutical method.Results: Despite their cognitive deterioration it was possible to understand the view of life of the participants in the frame of their life story. Their view of life seemed to guide them towards selecting mainly emotionally powerful and value-oriented memories. No exceptional characteristics that could be traced to their dementia disease were found in the participants’ views of life. Conclusions: The view of life of the participants with mild to moderate dementia was vital for their life story and was not erased by dementia.Implications: In order to respect people with dementia as persons, caregivers should strive for gaining some knowledge of their view of life.
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| 2. |
- Bergh, Ingrid, 1956, et al.
(författare)
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Descriptions of pain in elderly patients following orthopaedic surgery.
- 2005
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Ingår i: Scandinavian journal of caring sciences. - : Wiley. - 0283-9318 .- 1471-6712. ; 19:2, s. 110-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aims of this study were to investigate what words elderly patients, who had undergone hip surgery, used to describe their experience of pain in spoken language and to compare these words with those used in the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and Pain-O-Meter (POM). The study was carried out at two orthopaedic and two geriatric clinical departments at a large university hospital in Sweden. Altogether, 60 patients (mean age =77) who had undergone orthopaedic surgery took part in the study. A face-to-face interview was conducted with each patient on the second day after the operation. This was divided into two parts, one tape-recorded and semi-structured in character and one structured interview. The results show that a majority of the elderly patients who participated in this study verbally stated pain and spontaneously used a majority of the words found in the SF-MPQ and in the POM. The patients also used a number of additional words not found in the SF-MPQ or the POM. Among those patients who did not use any of the words in the SF-MPQ and the POM, the use of the three additional words 'stel' (stiff), 'hemsk' (awful) and 'rad(d)(sla)' (afraid/fear) were especially marked. The patients also combined the words with a negation to describe what pain was not. To achieve a more balanced and nuanced description of the patient's pain and to make it easier for the patients to talk about their pain, there is a need for access to a set of predefined words that describe pain from a more multidimensional perspective than just intensity. If the elderly patient is allowed, and finds it necessary, to use his/her own words to describe what pain is but also to describe what pain is not, by combining the words with a negation, then the risk of the patient being forced to choose words that do not fully correspond to their pain can be reduced. If so, pain scales such as the SF-MPQ and the POM can create a communicative bridge between the elderly patient and health care professionals in the pain evaluation process.
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| 3. |
- Törner, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Renal function in community-dwelling frail elderly : comparison between measured and predicted glomerular filtration rate in the elderly and proposal for a new cystatin C-based prediction equation
- 2008
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Ingår i: Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. - Milano : Editrice Kurtis. - 1594-0667 .- 1720-8319. ; 20:3, s. 216-225
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There is a great need to evaluate renal function regularly in elderly people. This study aimed at analyzing renal function in stable, community-dwelling elderly people of 75 years and over, to compare measured and predicted glomerular filtration rates (GFR) and to develop an accurate prediction equation for this age group. METHODS: Forty-five ambulatory elderly people in stable health in ordinary living were randomly selected into four age-classes, aged 75-95. Demographic data, personal activities of daily living, continuous drug prescriptions, body composition, blood pressure and blood chemistry were analysed. GFR was measured as Iohexol clearance based on three time-points 3, 4 and 7 hours after Iohexol injection. RESULTS: Mean GFR was well preserved in all four age-classes. The GFR range was 18-83 mL/min and declined with age. The Cockcroft-Gault prediction equation systematically underestimated measured GFR. A new 'GFRA' prediction equation is presented, based on the inverse of serum cystatin C and independent of gender, body surface area, body weight, lean body mass or serum creatinine. The proposed equation underestimated measured GFR with a mean of only 0.1 mL/min, had better precision compared with the Cockcroft-Gault equation, and was evaluated by the method of cross-validation. CONCLUSIONS: GFR exhibits extensive heterogeneity in frail, community-dwelling elderly people. The proposed GFRA was clearly more precise than the Cockcroft-Gault prediction equation in the study group. However, it needs to be validated in a larger population of elderly subjects, including more individuals in stable health with substantially reduced renal function in whom GFR is measured by a reference method with adequate sampling time.
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| 4. |
- Dahl, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of dementia in epidemiological research : A study on the usefulness of various data sources
- 2007
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Ingår i: Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. - : Springer Nature Switzerland AG. - 1594-0667 .- 1720-8319. ; 19:5, s. 381-389
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and aims: Prevalence and incidence ratios of dementia in epidemiological studies vary according to the data source used. Medical records, cognitive tests, and registry information are sources frequently used to differentiate dementia from normal aging. The aim of the present study was to compare the identification of dementia from these different sources with that from consensus diagnosis. Methods: 498 elderly people (age range 70–81 at baseline) enrolled in a Swedish population-based longitudinal twin study (Gender) were evaluated on physical and mental health and interviewed for their socio-demographic background three times during an eight-year period. Reviews of medical records and the Swedish Discharge Registry (DR) were conducted. The 10th percentile was used to differentiate between dementia and non-dementia in all cognitive tests. Scores of 24 or below on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (range 1–30) indicated dementia. A consensus conference diagnosed dementia on the basis of total information. The consensus diagnosis was used as the gold standard. Results: MMSE scores (sensitivity 64%, specificity 96%, kappa 0.65) and the review of medical records (sensitivity 57%, specificity 99%, kappa 0.65) were good sources for dementia identification. The precision of medical records increased when recordings of cognitive impairment were included (sensitivity 83%, specificity 98%, kappa 0.84). The discharge registry had low sensitivity (26%) and kappa coefficient (0.31). Conclusions: The present study shows that both review of medical records and MMSE scores are good although not perfect identifiers of dementia. The discharge registry is an uncertain source of dementia identification.
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| 5. |
- Mamhidir, Anna-Greta, et al.
(författare)
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Weight increase in patients with dementia, and alteration in meal routines and meal environment after integrity promoting care.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Nursing. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0962-1067 .- 1365-2702. ; 16:5, s. 987-96
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims. To follow weight changes in patients with moderate and severe dementia and analyse how these changes related to biological and psychological parameters after staff education and support in integrity promoting care. A further aim was to describe meal environment and routines relative to the intervention.Background. Weight loss in patients with dementia and in particular Alzheimer's disease is common. The aetiology appears multifactorial with the meal environment and a decreased independence while eating among the factors.Method. Over a three-month intervention period, an integrity-promoting care training programme was conducted with the staff of a long-term ward. Alzheimer's disease patients, 18 from an intervention ward and 15 from a control ward were included and possible effects were evaluated. Weighing was conducted at the start and after completion of the intervention. Weight changes were analysed in relation to psychological and biochemical parameters. In addition, the staff wrote diaries about, for example changes made in the environment and in their work.Results. The most prominent difference observed was weight increases in 13 of 18 patients compared with two of 15 patients in the control ward. No weight changes were related to the type of dementia. The individual weight changes correlated significantly to changes in the intellectual functions. Relationships between weight change, increased motor function and increased appetite were non-significant. There was no significant relationship between weight changes and changes in biochemical parameters. According to the staff, increased contact with the patients and a more pleasant atmosphere resulted when the meal environment and routines were changed.Relevance to clinical practice. Weight gain in patients with moderate and severe dementia was achieved by adjusting the meal environment to the individual's needs. Staff education was profitable, as increased competence seemed to promote individually adapted feeding situations. Ensuring good meal situations need to be given high priority.
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| 6. |
- Appelros, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Changes in mini mental state examination score after stroke : lacunar infarction predicts cognitive decline
- 2006
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Ingår i: European Journal of Neurology. - : Wiley. - 1351-5101 .- 1468-1331. ; 13:5, s. 491-495
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Stroke and cognitive impairment are inter-related. The purpose of this study was to show the natural evolution of cognitive performance during the first year after a stroke, and to show which factors that predict cognitive decline. Subjects were patients with a first-ever stroke who were treated in a stroke unit. A total of 160 patients were included. At baseline patients were evaluated with regard to stroke type, stroke severity, pre-stroke dementia and other risk factors. Mini Mental State Examinations (MMSE) were performed after 1 week and after 1 year. Patients had a median increase of 1 point (range -8 to +9) on the MMSE. Thirty-two pre cent of the patients deteriorated, 13% were unchanged, and 55% improved. Lacunar infarction (LI) and left-sided stroke were associated with a failure to exhibit improvement. Patients with LI had an average decline of 1.7 points, whilst patients with other stroke types had an average increase of 1.8 points. Most stroke survivors improve cognitively during the first year after the event. The outcome for LI patients is worse, which suggests that LI may serve as a marker for concomitant processes that cause cognitive decline.
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| 7. |
- Appelros, Peter
(författare)
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Heart failure and stroke
- 2006
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Ingår i: Stroke. - 0039-2499 .- 1524-4628. ; 37:7, s. 1637-1637
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 8. |
- Appelros, Peter
(författare)
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Prevalence and predictors of pain and fatigue after stroke : a population-based study
- 2006
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Ingår i: International Journal of Rehabilitation Research. - 0342-5282 .- 1473-5660. ; 29:4, s. 329-333
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pain and fatigue are two often overlooked symptoms after stroke. Their prevalence and determinants are not well understood. In this study patients with first-ever stroke (n=377) were examined at baseline and after 1 year. General characteristics of the patients, as well as stroke type, stroke severity and risk factors were registered at baseline. After 1 year survivors (n=253) were examined with respect to residual impairment, disability, cognition and depression. They were asked whether they had experienced pain and/or fatigue which had started after the stroke, and which the patient felt to be stroke related. Twenty-eight patients (11%) had stroke-associated pain and 135 (53%) had stroke-associated fatigue. Pain was associated with depression and different manifestations of stroke severity, especially degree of paresis at baseline. Fatigue was more associated with physical disability. In univariate analysis, fatigue was also associated with sleep disturbances. In conclusion, it is important to be aware of the occurrence of pain and fatigue after stroke, because these symptoms are common, they impair quality of life and they are potentially treatable. Post-stroke depression may coexist with pain and fatigue. The detection of one symptom should lead to consideration of the others. Follow-up and individual assessment of stroke patients is crucial.
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| 9. |
- Warkentin, Siegbert, et al.
(författare)
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rCBF pathology in Alzheimer's disease is associated with slow processing speed
- 2008
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Ingår i: Neuropsychologia. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-3514 .- 0028-3932. ; 46:5, s. 1193-1200
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Decreased information processing speed (mental slowing) is a known sequelae of many brain disorders, and can be assessed by continuous naming tasks. Functional imaging studies have shown that pause and articulation times in continuous speech are normally associated with different brain regions, but knowledge about such association in dementia is lacking. We therefore tested the hypothesis that perfusion deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are not only associated with slower processing, but also with these speech measures. Using regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measurements during the performance of a continuous colour and form-naming task, we found that naming speed was substantially slower in AD patients than in controls. This slower naming was exclusively determined by an increase in mean pause time, and only to a limited extent by articulation time. The increased pause time was uniquely associated with temporo-parietal rCBF reductions of the patients, while articulation was not. By contrast, the rCBF of healthy elderly control subjects was consistently accompanied by substantially shorter articulation and pause times, although the naming measures were not statistically associated with rCBF. These findings suggest that pause time (in contrast to articulation time) may serve as a sensitive measure in the assessment of information processing speed deficits in dementia, by virtue of its close association with brain pathology. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 10. |
- Andersson, Christin, et al.
(författare)
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Identifying patients at high and low risk of cognitive decline using Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test among middle-aged memory clinic outpatients
- 2006
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Ingår i: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1420-8008 .- 1421-9824. ; 21:4, s. 251-259
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether application of cutoff levels in an episodic memory test (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, RAVLT) is a useful method for identifying patients at high and low risk of cognitive decline and subsequent dementia. METHODS: 224 patients with memory complaints (mean age = 60.7 years, mean MMSE = 28.2) followed-up at a memory clinic over approximately 3 years were assigned retrospectively to one of three memory groups from their baseline results in RAVLT [severe (SIM), moderate (MIM) or no impairment (NIM)]. These groups were investigated regarding cognitive decline. RESULTS: Patients assigned to SIM showed significant cognitive decline and progressed to dementia at a high rate, while a normal performance in RAVLT at baseline (NIM) predicted normal cognition after 3 years. Patients with MIM constituted a heterogeneous group; some patients deteriorated cognitively, while the majority remained stable or improved. CONCLUSIONS: The application of cutoff levels in RAVLT at baseline showed that patients with severely impaired RAVLT performance were at a high risk of cognitive decline and progression to dementia, while patients with normal RAVLT results did not show cognitive decline during 3 years. Furthermore, the initial degree of memory impairment was decisive in the cognitive prognosis 3 years later.
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