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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Older patients undergoing dialysis treatment
— cognitive functioning, depressive mood and health-related quality of life | | Author(s) | J Tyrrell, L Paturel, B Cadec |
| Journal title | Aging & Mental Health, vol 9, no 4, July 2005 |
| Pages | pp 374-379 |
| Source | http://www.tandfonline.com |
| Keywords | Kidney diseases ; Therapeutics ; Out-patients ; Mental health [elderly] ; Depression ; Evaluation ; France. |
| Annotation | An increasing number of older people receive dialysis treatment to compensate for deficient kidneys, due to end-stage renal disease (ESRU). Ethical questions arise about the benefits of dialysis when a patient appears unwilling or unable to comply with the treatment procedure. Such attitudes may be due to psychological factors, but these are not routinely assessed. This study evaluates levels of cognitive impairment, depressive mood and self-reported quality of life (QoL) in dialysis patients aged 70+. 51 patients receiving dialysis were assessed by psychologists using a depression scale ( Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale - MADRS), two cognitive tests (Mini Mental State Examination - MMSE, and BEC 96), and quality of life questionnaire (Nottingham Health Profile - NHP). 60% of the patients were depressed, and between 30% and 47% had cognitive impairment. Almost half of the depressed patients were also cognitively impaired. The scores for self-reported quality of life varied widely within the sample. Cognitive impairment and depressive mood are often overlooked and underestimated in this population. Regular assessments of depressive mood, cognitive ability and QoL are recommended, given the prevalence of problems in these domains for older dialysis patients. The information obtained should assist staff as they reflect on individual cases where the benefits of continuing treatment are being examined. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-060202226 A |
| Classmark | COK: LL: LFB: D: ENR: 4C: 765 |
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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