GALLAGHER, D., NI MHAOLAIN, A., CROSBY, L., RYAN, D., LACEY, L., COEN, R., F., WALSH, C., COAKLEY, D., WALSH, J., B., CUNNINGHAM, C., LAWLOR, B., A.
Aging & Mental Health
2011
In a study of eighty-four patient/caregiver dyads with mainly mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, Gallagher et al. (2011c) examined the relationship between self-efficacy for dementia management and symptoms of burden and depression among caregivers.
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They found that self-efficacy for symptom management of those with mild to moderate dementia directly impacts on the psychological health of caregivers, while among those with moderate to severe dementia, self-efficacy was more likely to mediate the relationship between the two. They also found that self-efficacy may act as a buffer against the impact of behavioural symptoms on caregiver depression and burden.
GALLAGHER, D., NI MHAOLAIN, A., CROSBY, L., RYAN, D., LACEY, L., COEN, R.F., WALSH, C., COAKLEY, D., WALSH, J.B., CUNNINGHAM, C., LAWLOR, B.A.
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
2011
In a second paper from the same study Gallagher et al. (2011b) explored determinants of the desire to institutionalise (DI) among those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease.
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They asked whether potentially modifiable caregivers attributes were linked to DI and found that the most significant of these were caregiver burden and depression. They also found an association between low caregiver self-efficacy and DI, and that caregivers with an emotion focused coping style were less likely to report DI. The authors conclude that a multifactoral approach should be taken to reduce symptoms of burden and depression among caregivers.
GALLAGHER, D., NI MHAOLAIN, A., CROSBY, L., RYAN, D., LACEY, L., COEN, R.F., WALSH, C., COAKLEY, D., WALSH, J.B., CUNNINGHAM, C., LAWLOR, B.A.
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
2011
One hundred participants with mostly mild to moderate dementia and their caregivers took part in this study by Gallagher et al (2011a), the objectives of which were to determine the impact of patient dependence on caregiver burden and to determine its value as a predictor of care
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giver burden. The authors report functional decline and patient dependence as most predictive of caregiver burden in the earlier stages of dementia while neuropsychiatric or behavioural symptoms were most predictive as dementia progressed. The authors also comment on the usefulness and easy administration of the dependence scale.
NI MHAOLAIN, A., GALLAGHER, D., CROSBY, L., RYAN, D., LACEY, L., COEN, R., BRUCE, I., WALSH, J.B., CUNNINGHAM, C., LAWLOR, B.A.
Age and Ageing, 40(5)
2011
Ni Mhaolain et al. (2011) examine the relationship between frailty and a range of domains including age, comorbidity, course of illness, cognitive impairment, functional limitations and abnormalities of behaviour in a group of patients with AD and MCI.
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The study found that 51% of the patients were robust or not-frail, with 49% at an intermediate or complete stage of frailty. It suggests that escalating frailty is positively associated with increasing number of medical comorbidities and advancing age rather than being a marker of cognitive decline and severity of illness. The study suggests that optimising the management of co-morbid illness in people with dementia may play a role in minimizing the health impact of frailty in this group.
GILLESPIE, P., O'SHEA, E., CULLINAN, J., LACEY, L., GALLAGHER, D., NI MHAOLAIN, A.
International journal of geriatric psychiatry
2012
Gillespie et al.
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(2012) using data from the Enhancing Care in Alzheimer’s Disease (ECAD) study estimate the costs of formal and informal care for a sample of people with Alzheimer’s disease and amnestic and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) living in the community in ROI over a six month period. They then undertook a multivariate statistical analysis to explore the effects of dependence and function on costs of care. They found that dependence and function of a person with dementia were both independently associated with the total cost of formal and informal care. As dependence on others increased, total costs increased. Conversely, an improvement in patient function led to a decline in the total cost of care.
