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Objectives: Dementia poses a substantial economic burden on society. Knowing which factors predict high costs in dementia may help to better target interventions and optimize resource allocation. This study aimed to identify predictors of the total societal costs in dementia patients and their informal caregivers.Design: Prospective cohort study with 2-year follow up.Setting and Participants: 192 community-dwelling patients with dementia and their primary informal caregivers in the Netherlands.Measurements: Data on health care resource utilization, informal carer time and caregivers' work absenteeism were collected by cost diaries and interviews. Predictors of total costs were identified for patient-caregiver dyads, and for patients and informal caregivers separately by performing univariate and multivariate generalized linear models.Results: Societal costs of patient-caregiver dyads averaged €75,084 (SEM: €4,263) in the first year and €99,369 (SEM: €6,441) in the second year. Sixty percent was attributed to costs of informal care. Patient impairments in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), disruptions during daily activities of the caregiver, and receiving case management were significantly associated with higher costs in dyads. The same predictors remained significant for patients' costs separately, and for informal caregivers, a poorer caregiver's quality of life and having more chronic diseases determined higher costs.Conclusions: The societal costs of dementia are substantial and mainly due to high costs of informal care. The burden for caregivers caused by a disrupted schedule and patients' ADL and IADL dependencies contributed most to the total costs. Interventions targeting these factors effectively might result in relevant economic benefits for society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which evaluated the effects of an outreaching stepped care intervention program called Lust for Life on the depressive symptoms of older adults living in a community. Study participants included 263 community-dwelling 65+-year-old patients with depressive symptoms in 18 general practices and a home care organization in the Netherlands. In the short term, it was found that the Lust for Life program relieves the depressive symptoms of older adults in primary care.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate the incidence of depression and anxiety in spousal caregivers who cared for patients with dementia. Researchers evaluated 181 caregivers. They found that caregivers of dementia patients have a high risk of developing a mental disorder, including anxiety and depression.

Objective: Although it is known that depression is highly prevalent in institutionalized older adults, little is known about its incidence and risk factors in nursing homes and residential care homes. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the incidence and associated risk factors for depression in Dutch nursing homes and residential care homes. Design: Data on depression were extracted from the Vrije Universiteit naturalistic cohort on routine care monitoring with the Minimum Data Set of the Resident Assessment Instrument. Participants: A total of 1,324 residents in six nursing homes and 1, 723 residents in 23 residential care homes with an average follow-up of 1.2 years. Measurements: Depression was defined as a clinical diagnosis according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria and the use of antidepressants. Residents with prevalent depression at base- line were excluded. Results: The incidence rate was 13.6 per 100 person years in the nursing homes and 10.2 per 100 person years in the residential care homes. The independent risk factors for in-home depression for residents in nursing homes included dementia (OR: 1.7; 95% CL: 1.02-2.95) and a score of 3 or more on the Depression Rating Scale (odds ratio [OR]: 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.23-3.70). A protective effect was seen on the use of a hearing aid (OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.12-0.80). In the residential care homes, being male (OR: 2.1; 95% CL: 1.27-3.30), having cancer (OR: 2.9; 95% CL: 1.64-4.95), and a score of 2 or higher on the Cognitive Perfor- mance Scale (OR: 1.5; 95% CL: 1.05-2.22) increased the risk to develop depression. Age greater than 85 years (OR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.31-0. 67) and hearing impairment (OR: 0.8; 95% CI: 0.60-1.00) appeared to be protective. Conclusions: The incidence rate for depression in residents of Dutch nursing homes and residential care homes was high and the associated risk factors found may have important implications for staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Depressive symptoms are common among elderly primary care patients, and because they encounter considerable barriers in seeking help and they often resist referral to specialized mental health facilities, it is important to look for easily accessible interventions within the primary care setting. Bibliotherapy, which has been found to be effective among younger populations, might be an attractive option. In this study, the authors investigated the effectiveness of bibliotherapy for depressive symptomatology in very old adults. Design: Randomized controlled trial. After a 3-month period of "watchful waiting," the participants were randomly assigned to a bibliotherapy group or a usual care group. Setting: Thirty-three general practices in the north-western region of the Netherlands. Participants: One hundred seventy community-dwelling adults, aged 75 and older, with subthreshold depression. Intervention: The bibliotherapy intervention consisted of an information leaflet and a self-help manual "Coping with Depression" adapted for the elderly. Measurements: Outcome measures after 3 months were a) change in depressive symptoms according to the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and b) the proportion of participants who scored a significant improvement on the CES-D. Results: One hundred forty-six (85.9%) of the 170 participants completed the baseline and follow-up measurements. The authors did not find any clinically relevant and statistically significant differences between the intervention group and the control group in the severity of the depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Bibliotherapy as a stand-alone intervention for the elderly (aged 75 years and older) did not reduce depressive symptoms more than usual care. This might indicate that bibliotherapy can only be effective for patients who are motivated and acknowledge their depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Depressive and anxiety disorders in later life have a high incidence and are associated with reduced quality of life. Elsewhere, we demonstrated that a stepped-care prevention approach was successful in halving the incidence of these disorders over a period of 12 months. As a decreasing effect over time is to be expected, our aim was to investigate the longer-term effects. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Thirty-three primary care practices in the Netherlands. Participants: One hundred seventy consenting individuals, age 75 years and older, presenting with subthreshold depression or anxiety, not meeting the diagnostic criteria. Intervention: Participants were randomized to a preventive intervention or usual care. In the first 12 months, the preventive intervention entailed watchful waiting, minimally supported CBT-based self-help intervention, problem-solving treatment, and referral to a primary care physician for medication, if required. In the last 12 months, 95% of the participants ceased to receive such support. Measurements: Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Results: The cumulative incidence rate of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, major depression or anxiety disorder over a period of 24 months was halved by the intervention, from 33 of 84 (39-3%) in the usual care group to 17 of 86 (19-8%) in the intervention group (odds ratio = 0.38; 95% confidence interval = 0.19-0.76), which was significant (z = 2.75; p = 0.006). The corresponding number needed to treat was 5 (95% confidence interval = 3-16). Conclusions: A stepped-care approach to the prevention of depression and anxiety in late life was not only successful in halving the incidence of depressive and anxiety disorders after 1 year, but these favorable effects were also sustained over 24 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Living with a demented person has been associated with high levels of clinical depression and anxiety. However, there are no prospective studies that allow good estimates of the incidence of depression and anxiety. In this study, the authors assess the long-term incidence of depression and anxiety in the spouses of patients with dementia as recorded by general practitioners. Design: Prospective naturalistic cohort study with a comparison group. Data from medical records in 2001-2007 were analyzed. Participants: Two hundred eighteen spouses of patients with dementia and 353 age and gender-matched spouses of nondemented persons. Setting: Seventy-one general practices in the Netherlands with a listed source population of 320,309 patients. Measurements: Incidence rates (IRs) per 1,000 person-years and hazard ratios (HRs) of depression and anxiety; prescription rates (per 1,000 person-years) for antidepressants and anxiolytics. Results: A new episode of depression was diagnosed in 18 spouses and 7 comparison spouses (IRs of 18.8/1,000person-years and 4.4/1,000 person-years, respectively). Spouses of patients with dementia were far more likely to be diagnosed with depression than the comparison spouses (HR, 4.16; 95% CI: 1.73-9-98). Spouses did not have a higher incidence of anxiety than the comparison group (HR, 1.26; 95% CI: 0.58-2.71). The prescription rates for both antidepressants and anxiolytics were significantly higher for spouses than for the comparison group. Conclusion: The spouses of patients with dementia have a fourfold higher risk of a diagnosis of depression than the spouses of nondemented persons. The authors could not establish this for anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]