Summary
A brief communication in the British Journal of General Practice points to recent evidence raising some interesting questions which many might prefer to duck. This “devil’s advocate”-style letter challenges readers to question some supposedly established axioms in modern dementia care policy and practice. Love it or loath it, this short piece manages to encapsulate issues which are likely to be debated much, and become the subject of probing research, in future.
Reference
Iliffe, S. (2015). Evidence-based medicine and dementia. (Letter). British Journal of General Practice. October 2015, Vol.65(639), pp.511-512.
This relates, in part, to:
Reference
Hilton, C. (2015). Dementia, screening, targets, and incentives: Primum non nocere. British Journal of General Practice. August 2015; 65(637), pp.388-9.
Aside: The ALSOVA Study Into Carers’ Quality of Life in Dementia
Some references from the ALSOVA Study; most recent first:
Välimäki, TH. Martikainen, JA. Hongisto, K. [et al] (2015). Impact of Alzheimer’s disease on the family caregiver’s long-term quality of life: results from an ALSOVA follow-up study. Quality of Life Research. September 9th 2015. [Epub ahead of print].
Välimäki, TH. Martikainen, JA. Hallikainen, IT. [et al] (2015). Depressed spousal caregivers have psychological stress unrelated to the progression of Alzheimer Disease: a 3-year follow-up report, Kuopio ALSOVA Study. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology. August 6th 2015. [Epub ahead of print].
Koivisto, AM. Hallikainen, I. Välimäki, T. [et al] (2015). Early psychosocial intervention does not delay institutionalization in persons with mild Alzheimer disease and has impact on neither disease progression nor caregivers’ well-being: ALSOVA 3-year follow-up. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. July 14th 2015. [Epub ahead of print].
Gilmartin, JF. Väätäinen, S. Törmälehto, S. [et al]; ALSOVA Study Group. (2015). Depressive symptoms are associated with analgesic use in people with Alzheimer’s disease: Kuopio ALSOVA study. PLoS One. February 17th 2015; 10(2): e0117926. Full Text Link.
Hallikainen, I. Martikainen, J. Lin, PJ. [et al] (2015). The progression of Alzheimer’s Disease can be assessed with a short version of the CERAD Neuropsychological Battery: the Kuopio ALSOVA Study. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra. December 11th 2014; 4(3): 494-508. Full Text Link.
Välimäki, T. Martikainen, J. Hongisto, K. [et al] (2015) Decreasing sense of coherence and its determinants in spousal caregivers of persons with mild Alzheimer’s Disease in three year follow-up: ALSOVA study. International Psychogeriatrics. July 2014; 26(7): 1211-20.
