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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Medication use to treat memory loss in dementia
— perspectives of persons with dementia and their caregivers | | Author(s) | Heather A Lindstrom, Kathleen A Smyth, Susie A Sami |
| Journal title | Dementia: the international journal of social research and practice, vol 5, no 1, February 2006 |
| Pages | pp 27-50 |
| Source | http://www.dem.sagepub.com |
| Keywords | Memory disorders ; Dementia ; Drugs ; Attitude ; Informal care ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Treatment decisions for symptoms associated with dementia are complex, involving people with dementia, caregivers and physicians. This exploratory focus group research examined the views of Caucasian and African America people with dementia (n=19) and their caregivers (n=19) in Cleveland, Ohio surrounding use of and hopes for existing medications to treat the symptoms of memory loss, willingness to stop medication use at some time in the future, and willingness to try medications that may become available. Focus group participants expressed relatively high hopes for what medications could do to treat memory loss, a general willingness to try hypothetical new treatments (even those with serious side effects and high costs), and were optimistic that scientists would find new treatments to significantly affect the course of memory loss in their lifetimes. Results of this study suggests that caregivers and people with dementia need better information about the likely impacts of medications in order to make informed treatment decisions. Efficacy and side-effects, costs, and the need for "hope" embodied in concrete actions (e.g. taking a mediation) must be weighed. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-060314213 A |
| Classmark | EH: EA: LLD: DP: P6: 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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