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- Talking to a Loved One With Alzheimer’s
- 10 Powerful Ways to Commemorate Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
- Making the Most of Mealtimes for People With Alzheimer’s
- Family Members Provide 100 Hours a Month of Unpaid Care for Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Caregivers Should Be Screened for Depression
- Alzheimer’s Care Costs Far More Than Heart Disease or Cancer Care
- Obesity at Midlife May Speed Alzheimer’s Onset
- Hello from my mom
- Easing the Behavior Problems of Alzheimer’s Without Drugs
- When Alzheimer’s Leads to Legal Wrangles
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- Daytime Sleepiness May Be Early Warning Sign of Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Disease Increases the Risk of Falls
- High Blood Sugar Tied to Memory Decline
- Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Gets Closer
- Worried About Your Memory? Alzheimer’s May Not Be to Blame
- Brain Changes of Menopause May Promote Alzheimer’s
- Predicting Who Will Get Alzheimer’s
- Personality Changes Are Not the Earliest Sign of Alzheimer’s
- Midlife Heart Problems Raise Alzheimer’s Risk
- Anemia Tied to Mild Cognitive Impairment Risk
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- Music May Ease the Anxiety of Alzheimer’s
- Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug, Intepirdine, Disappoints in Study
- An Eye Scan for Alzheimer’s?
- Drug to treat Alzheimer’s is Ranked Highest
- Patients Often Fail to Adhere to Alzheimer’s Drug Schedules
- Could Treatments for Diabetes Help Treat Alzheimer’s?
- Pharmacists Can Aid in Alzheimer’s Care
- Two-Drug Combo May Ease the Agitation of Alzheimer’s
- Are New, More Effective Alzheimer’s Drugs on the Horizon?
- Nasal Spray Shows Promise as Alzheimer’s Treatment
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- 2 Hours a Week of Exercise Can Boost Brain Health
- ‘Exergames,’ Which Combine Exercise and Games, May Benefit Brain Health
- Eat Fish, Fruit, Vegetables and Nuts for Brain Health
- Beet Compound Shows Promise Against Alzheimer’s
- A Single Night of Not Sleeping Tied to Alzheimer’s Brain Changes
- Should Alzheimer’s Patients Drink Coffee?
- Can a Salad a Day Help Keep Memory Sharp?
- Fitness in Midlife Tied to Lower Dementia Risk in Old Age
- Doctor’s Orders: Exercise for the Sake of Your Brain
- Positive Beliefs About Aging May Help Fend Off Alzheimer’s
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- Alzheimer’s Rates Could Double in Coming Decades
- Combining Care Program With Medication Reduces Alzheimer’s Symptoms By 750%
- Fisher Center Scientists make two new Significant Discoveries in the battle against Alzheimer’s
- Dementia Rates Are Slowing, but Alzheimer’s Cases Continue to Rise
- Fisher Center Scientists Create a Novel Imaging Technology Allowing the 3D Visualization of Brain Defects That Cause Alzheimer’s Disease
- Negative Beliefs About Aging Could Prime the Brain for Alzheimer’s
- Recognizing Faces Is a Challenge for Those With Alzheimer’s
- Fisher Center Scientists Discover Pathway That may Lead to Alzheimer’s Disease
- Brain Scans Move Closer to Early Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
- Can Vitamin E Slow Alzheimer’s Decline?
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- Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar
- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 7th Consecutive Year
- Hear Kent Karosen, President and CEO of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, describe his new book and the power of art therapy
- Fisher Center Scientists link a Mutation That Protects Against the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Newly Inducted Into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Shaquille O’Neal, Joins the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation to Raise Funds for Groundbreaking Research in the Quest for a Cure
- Pat Summitt, legendary women’s basketball coach, dies at 64
- Celebrating the life of Nancy Reagan for her Impact on the Fight to end Alzheimer’s
- WRNN Interview
- Fisher Center’s 20th Anniversary Celebration and recent activities
- Featured on NASDAQ’s Billboard
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Collaborative Care Eases Behavior Problems Related to Alzheimer’s Disease
May 9, 2006
A collaborative heath-care team, including the use of a nurse who specializes in treating Alzheimer’s disease, may help to ease agitation, depression, and other behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Collaborative care may also benefit those who care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease by lowering stress levels and easing depression. These are the findings of a recent study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Like most older Americans, seniors with Alzheimer’s disease tend to receive their medical care from a generalist, or primary care, physician. Although primary care doctors commonly prescribe medications to ease agitation and other behavior problems in these patients, most medical centers and clinics are not appropriately staffed and set up to provide comprehensive management of Alzheimer’s disease, the study authors report.
Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of collaborative care management. Eighty-four patients received collaborative care, while sixty-nine patients received good, but standard, Alzheimer’s care. Collaborative care included the use of a nurse or other care manager who supported the patient’s caregiver and physician and adhered to recommended treatment protocols. The care manager took special care to identify, monitor, and treat behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, such as agitation or aggression, sleep disturbances, delusions or hallucinations, and depression. He or she also offered assistance with personal care and mobility issues. When appropriate, the treatment protocols stressed management without medications.
The minimum care that all treatment group caregivers and patients received included education on communication skills; caregiver coping skills; legal and financial advice; patient exercise guidelines, including a guidebook and videotape; and a caregiver guide. All of the components of this minimum intervention were provided by a geriatric nurse practitioner, who served as the care manager. Participants and their caregivers were also provided written materials and information describing local community resources, and received face-to-face counseling by a geriatric nurse practitioner.
The researchers found that those men and women with Alzheimer’s who received the enhanced care had significantly fewer behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia after 12 months, and again at 18 months. Caregivers also reported significant improvements in distress at 12 months; after 18 months, caregivers were also less likely to be suffering from depression. There was no evidence, however, that the enhanced care improved or worsened cognition, activities of daily living, or rates of nursing home placement.
“In summary, application of the current treatment guidelines for the care of older primary care patients with Alzheimer disease results in significant improvements in behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and significant improvement in caregiver stress,” the authors conclude. “These improvements exceed those previously reported in studies focusing on pharmacological therapy alone. The intervention demonstrates that care for patients with Alzheimer disease can be improved in the primary care setting, but not without substantial changes in the system of care.”
The findings bolster earlier reports from New York University and other medical centers that enhanced care offers many benefits for those who care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.
For more on Alzheimer’s care and treatment, visit www.ALZinfo.org.
By www.ALZinfo.org, The Alzheimer’s Information Site. Reviewed by William J. Netzer, Ph.D., Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation at The Rockefeller University.
Source:
Christopher M. Callahan, MD, Malaz A. Boustani, MD, MPH, Frederick W. Unverzagt, PhD, et al: “Effectiveness of Collaborative Care for Older Adults with Alzheimer Disease in Primary Care: A Randomized Conrolled Trial.“ Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 295, Number 18, May 10, 2006, pages 2148-2157.