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A cross-sectional design investigated the physical attributes of 15 dyads of people with dementia and their caregivers. Physical and cognitive markers determined deviations from clinical thresholds for loss of functional independence, where 100% of participants performed below criterion-referenced threshold values for aerobic endurance. Walking distance for people with dementia was associated with bath/shower activity (p =.007), transfers (p <.001), and mobility (p =.013). Less distance walked was associated with more assistance with self-care tasks. Physical deficits associated with low aerobic endurance and lower body strength compromised independence, placing dyads at risk for falls and mobility-related health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examined the effectiveness of instructional materials designed to control redundancy and split attention in the teaching of complex orthopedic physical therapy skills. Participants included 41 first-year physical therapy students. The modified instruction group received a modified unit of instruction designed to reduce cognitive load, while the control group received a traditionally designed unit of instruction. Four hypotheses were tested relating to achievement on cognitive and psychomotor tests, ratings of cognitive load, and task completion times. The multivariate analysis yielded significant results for three of the four hypotheses (ES = +0.52). As predicted, the participants receiving the modified instructional materials scored significantly higher on the written post-test and psychomotor tasks, while reporting a lower level of cognitive load on both tasks. These results suggest that designers can increase the germane cognitive load by reducing the extraneous cognitive load through good instructional and message design practices.

The measurement of the social construct of Family Quality of Life (FQOL) is a parsimonious alternative to the current approach of measuring familial outcomes using a battery of tools related to individual-level outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the internal consistency and concurrent validity of the International FQOL Survey (FQOLS-2006), using cross-sectional data collected from 65 family caregivers of children with developmental disabilities. It shows a moderate correlation between the total FQOL scores of the FQOLS-2006 and the Beach Center's FQOL scale. The validity of five FQOLS-2006 domains was supported by the correlations between conceptually related domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of family caregivers of persons with dementia in accessing resources as the disease progresses, using four focus groups. Findings indicate differences in caregiver needs by stage of dementia of the care recipient. Service professionals noted family-level dynamics as possibly hindering care and voiced concern with limited mental health services. The need to educate caregivers on the scope of available services and applicable information was clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]