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Potentially Unsafe Activities and Living Conditions of Older Adults with Dementia.
- Source :
- Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; Jun2016, Vol. 64 Issue 6, p1223-1232, 10p, 4 Charts, 1 Graph
- Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- Objectives To examine the prevalence of dementia in the absence of a reported dementia diagnosis and whether potentially unsafe activities and living conditions vary as a function of dementia diagnosis status in a nationally representative sample of older adults. Design Observational cohort study. Setting Community. Participants Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older enrolled in the National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 7,609). Measurements Participants were classified into four groups based on self-report of dementia diagnosis, proxy screening interview, and cognitive testing: probable dementia with reported dementia diagnosis (n = 457), probable dementia without reported dementia diagnosis (n = 581), possible dementia (n = 996), or no dementia (n = 5,575). Potentially unsafe activities (driving, preparing hot meals, managing finances or medications, attending doctor visits alone) and living conditions (falls, living alone, and unmet needs) were examined according to dementia status subgroups in stratified analyses and multivariate models, adjusting for sociodemographic factors, medical comorbidities, and physical capacity. Results The prevalence of driving (22.9%), preparing hot meals (31.0%), managing finances (21.9%), managing medications (36.6%), and attending doctor visits alone (20.6%) was lowest in persons with probable dementia; however, but in persons with probable dementia, the covariate-adjusted rates of driving, preparing hot meals, managing finances, managing medications, and attending doctor visits alone were significantly higher in those without reported dementia diagnosis than in those with reported diagnosis (all odds ratios ≥2.00, all P < .01). Conclusion Older adults with probable dementia who are not aware of a dementia diagnosis are more likely to report engaging in potentially unsafe behaviors. Understanding the prevalence of potentially unsafe activities and living conditions can help clinicians focus safety screening and counseling in older adults with diagnosed or suspected dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- DIAGNOSIS of dementia
AUTOMOBILE driving
BIOPHYSICS
CHI-squared test
COGNITIVE testing
CONFIDENCE intervals
COOKING
DEMENTIA
DRUG administration
ACCIDENTAL falls
MEDICAL appointments
PROBABILITY theory
REGRESSION analysis
RESEARCH funding
SAFETY
SCALE analysis (Psychology)
SCIENTIFIC apparatus & instruments
FINANCIAL management
ACTIVITIES of daily living
HOME environment
MULTIPLE regression analysis
DISEASE prevalence
CROSS-sectional method
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
ODDS ratio
OLD age
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00028614
- Volume :
- 64
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 116236244
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.14164