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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Quality of life in dementia patients in long-term care | | Author(s) | Teresa González-Salvador, Constantine G Lyketsos, Alva Baker |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 15, no 2, February 2000 |
| Pages | pp 181-189 |
| Keywords | Long term patients ; Quality of life ; Dementia ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | A number of measures of quality of life (QOL) in dementia have recently been developed; and this study was intended to evaluate one such scale (ADRQL) among dementia patients in long-term care. Study participants were 120 American patients with dementia: 56 in assisted living, 64 in a skilled nursing facility. 32 direct care nursing staff were also interviewed for the study. ADRQL scores were higher in the assisted living residents group. In univariate analyses, worse orientation, greater physical dependency, depression, and treatment with anxiolytics were associated with lower ADRQL scores. In multivariate analyses, lower scores were associated with worse orientation, greater physical dependency, depression, and anxiolytic treatment. Residents exhibited better QOL than expected. Future longitudinal studies should consider whether reorientation, activity therapy, treatment of depression and avoidance of benzodiazepines might improve QOL in this population. Interventions that might improve orientation and physical abilities, such as cholinomimetic therapies, psychosocial interventions, or behavioural strategies, should also be studied in future research on QOL. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-000502014 A |
| Classmark | LF7:4Q: F:59: EA: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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