Frequency of some psychosomatic symptoms in informal caregivers of Alzheimer's disease individuals. Prague's experience.
نویسنده
چکیده
BACKGROUND This study was motivated by the growth in the number of elderly with dementia and consequent need to help family caregivers who face the daily stress for long periods of time. The aim was to describe the frequency of some common psychosomatic symptoms in self-assessed health status and to determine whether there are gender differences in these symptoms and the perception of one´s own health in family caregivers. METHODS The first results of cross-sectional survey design as the first phase of a longitudinal cohort study are presented. The participants in this investigation (n=73) were family caregivers of outpatients suffering from moderate (59 cases = 80.8%) or mild (14 cases = 19.2%) stage of Alzheimer´ s disease (AD). RESULTS The group of caregivers consisting of 61 (83.6%) women and 12 men (16.4%). Participants of this study were recruited from the Department of Psychiatry, Prague, Czech Republic. Data from caregivers were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire containing various items to measure self-perceived health including some common psychosomatic symptoms in relationship with their caregiving role. CONCLUSIONS The following symptoms appeared the most frequent among family caregivers: chronic fatigue and sleeping disturbances. Most caregivers of patients with moderate stage of AD evaluated their own health as poor and experienced more symptoms in comparison with caregivers of patients with mild stage of Alzheimer´s disease, who scored their own health as good or very good. A follow-up of the survey population seems to be necessary.
منابع مشابه
The recent development in synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of small molecule to treat Alzheimer's diseases: A review
Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder in which the death of brain cells causes memory loss and cognitive decline. A neurodegenerative type of dementia, the disease starts mild and gets progressively worse. Like all types of dementia, Alzheimer's is caused by brain cell death. The most common presentation marking Alzheimer's dementia is where symptoms of memory loss are the most promine...
متن کاملThe recent development in synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of small molecule to treat Alzheimer's diseases: A review
Alzheimer's disease is a neurological disorder in which the death of brain cells causes memory loss and cognitive decline. A neurodegenerative type of dementia, the disease starts mild and gets progressively worse. Like all types of dementia, Alzheimer's is caused by brain cell death. The most common presentation marking Alzheimer's dementia is where symptoms of memory loss are the most promine...
متن کاملMethods to Enhance Verbal Communication between Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and Their Formal and Informal Caregivers: A Systematic Review
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia in older adults. Although memory problems are the most characteristic symptom of this disorder, many individuals also experience progressive problems with communication. This systematic review investigates the effectiveness of methods to improve the verbal communication of individuals with Alzheimer's disease with their caregivers. The follow...
متن کاملProject CARE: a randomized controlled trial of a behavioral intervention group for Alzheimer's disease caregivers.
PURPOSE The neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease are a major contributor to caregiver distress and burden. Despite recent efforts to teach caregivers skills to manage neuropsychiatric symptoms and reduce burden, there continues to be limited evidence that these strategies have helped caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease to effectively manage neuropsychiatr...
متن کاملThe Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Psychological Well-Being and Quality of Life in Caregivers of the Elderly with Alzheimer's disease in Isfahan City: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Background and Objectives: Caring of elderly with Alzheimer's disease and communicating with them is a chronic stressful process that has a negative effect on caregivers’ psychological well-being and quality of life. Therefore, considering the importance of this issue, the aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on psychological well-being a...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Neuro endocrinology letters
دوره 33 5 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2012