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P1‐140: Factors associated with a stable and long‐lasting home life in patients with Alzheimer's disease

2015; Wiley; Volume: 11; Issue: 7S_Part_8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jalz.2015.06.338

1552-5279

Miyuki Matsumura,

Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

Continuation of a stable and long-lasting home life does not depend solely on the severity of cognitive function. The present study aimed to identify the factors associated with a stable and long-lasting home life in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) by analyzing two-year treatment outcomes. The subjects were 15 AD patients with a mean (± SD) age of 80.5 (± 18.9) years and mean disease duration of 8.1 (± 2.5) years. All of the patients had stable and long-lasting home lives. All of them had been treated with galantamine for two years. Caregiver education was provided to the family members. The patients were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Logical Memory Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and the Mental Function Impairment Scale (MENFIS) before and during the treatment. Student's dependent t test was used for the statistical analysis. While there were no improvements in cognitive test scores from before to the end of the two-year treatment, the subjects showed significant improvements in the MENFIS sub-scores of blunting, ability and appropriateness of emotion after treatment. Significant improvement was observed even in one patient with a disease duration of 13 years. The subjects of the present study showed improvements in stability of emotion, spontaneity, and intent expression after treatment, but there was no improvement in cognitive function. We consider stability of emotion to be important for achieving a stable and long-lasting home life even if there is a decline in cognitive function.