Neuropsychological assessment of patients with alzheimer's Disease in the presence or absence of spouses.

A common question in the neuropsychological testing of patients with Alzheimer's Disease is whether or not patients should be tested in the presence of their spouses. We addressed this issue by assessing the neuropsychological performances of Alzheimer's Disease patients in the presence or absence of spouses. Results showed no significant differences between patients' performances in the presence or absence of spouses on tests assessing general cognitive abilities, episodic memory, working memory, inhibition and flexibility. No significant differences were observed regarding either anxiety or depression in patients when tested alone, compared to when spouses were attending. However, patients demonstrated higher verbal fluency when tested alone compared to when spouses attended. Clinicians may carry out neuropsychological assessment in the presence or absence of spouses, except when assessing verbal fluency. In such cases, clinicians should privilege testing patients alone or, if spouses attend the test, take into account this variable when interpreting patients' performances.

High Exhaustion in Geriatric Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Second Lockdown.

BACKGROUND: In a previous study, we assessed burnout in geriatric healthcare workers during the first lockdown that lasted from March to May 2020 in France, in response to the COVID-19 crisis. OBJECTIVE: We carried out a follow-up study to assess burnout in the same population during the second lockdown that was implemented at the end of October 2020. METHODS: We used an online survey to assess burnout in terms of exhaustion and disengagement in a sample of 58 geriatric healthcare workers. RESULTS: We found higher levels of exhaustion, disengagement, and burnout among geriatric healthcare workers during the second than during the first lockdown. We also found high levels of exhaustion but moderate disengagement and burnout during the second lockdown. CONCLUSION: The increased exhaustion, disengagement, and burnout during the second lockdown can be attributed to the increased workload in geriatric facilities throughout this crisis and during the second lockdown due to shortage in staff and increased number of shifts and allocated duties. The high levels of exhaustion reported among geriatric healthcare workers during the second lockdown can reflect their physical fatigue, as well as their feelings of being emotionally overextended and exhausted by their workload.

Ecological approach of executive functions using the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children (BADS-C): Developmental and validity study.

INTRODUCTION: Ecological assessment of executive functions (EF) with tasks simulating everyday-life difficulties in children remains poorly developed. The Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children (BADS-C) is one of the rare tools proposed in this perspective, for which developmental and convergent validity are, however, rather limited. The objectives of this study were to explore EF development using the BADS-C, while considering the effect of gender and parental education as well as controversial relationships between intelligence and EF. We also aimed to examine to what extent the BADS-C could reflect EF of children in everyday life, as reported by their parents on questionnaires. METHOD: A group of 120 healthy children aged from 7 to 12 years was recruited. Their executive performance was examined by means of the BADS-C, and their intellectual efficiency was tested with the Wechsler intelligence scales. Rating of EF in everyday life was simultaneously carried out by children's parents, using two questionnaires: the Dysexecutive Questionnaire for Children (DEX-C) of the BADS-C and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). RESULTS: Results showed a significant effect of age on BADS-C subtests, with inconsistencies from one subtest to another. Gender effect on EF performance was nonsignificant. Weak correlations were found between EF scores and parental education or intelligence quotient. Lastly, while the two questionnaires of everyday-life EF were strongly correlated with each other, their links with BADS-C subtests scores were weak. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows differentiated developmental curves on BADS-C, reflecting a variable implication of executive resources according to subtests. The limited relations between BADS-C performance and sociodemographic variables or IQ could be due to the fact that executive difficulties are moderate in healthy children at this age. Moreover, the capacity of the BADS-C to reflect EF as perceived by the child's relatives in everyday life remains questionable.