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P2‐214: The Influence of the Health Condition of the Caregiver: The Care Environment and the Prognosis of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

2016; Wiley; Volume: 12; Issue: 7S_Part_14 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jalz.2016.06.1382

1552-5279

Miyuki Matsumura,

Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research

The caregiver has a strong influence on the quality of dementia care; therefore, healthcare professionals acknowledge the importance of providing mental support to caregivers. I examined that the influence of the caregiver’s health on the prognosis of the dementia patient. Subjects were 23 patients with AD, with a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 3. Further, 12 of these patients lived at home (HL group) and 11 of them lived at a nursing home (NH group). The participants’ age, years of education and disease period corresponded between the two groups. I evaluated the patients’ functions using MMSE, MENFIS, DAD, Digit Span Test and Trail Making Test. I compared the two groups in terms of number of caregivers, sex, and whether they used the day service. In the NH group, I also examined the reason for admission into the nursing home. Six patients with AD were admitted to the nursing home because their caregiver died or fell sick; the other five entered the nursing home because of caregiver burden. Two of the participants died about six months after admission into the nursing home. The average number of caregivers was less than one in the NH group, and two or more in the HL group. Day services were utilized more in the NH group (n = 8) than the HL group (n = 1). The mean MENFIS score of the HL group was 2±1, which was significantly lower than that of the NH group 3±2. This study revealed that more than half of the AD patients entered the nursing home because of the illness or death of their caregivers. This indicates that it is extremely important to manage the health of the caregivers in order to ensure that patients with AD live at home for long. Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare staff should also focus on the health of the caregiver during the course of treatment of dementia.