Anticholinergic drugs and their effects on delirium and mortality in the elderly.

AIM: To investigate the use of drugs with anticholinergic properties (DAPs) and their associations with delirium and mortality among elderly patients with comorbidities. METHODS: 425 patients (≥70 years of age) in geriatric wards and nursing homes were assessed. The use of DAPs was retrieved from their medical records. Delirium was diagnosed according to the DSM-IV criteria. RESULTS: Of the 341 patients (80.2%) treated with multiple DAPs (≥2), 92 patients (27.0%) suffered from delirium, whereas 14 of 84 patients (16.7%) without DAP treatment had delirium (p = 0.050). In a logistic regression analysis with age, gender, and Charlson Comorbidity Index as covariates, DAP treatment did not predict delirium (odds ratio 1.67, 95% confidence interval 0.87-3.21). The 2-year mortality was 49.3% (n = 168) in DAP users and 35.7% (n = 30) in non-users, respectively (p = 0.026). In the Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for age, gender, and comorbidity, DAPs did not predict mortality (hazard ratio 1.12, 95% confidence interval 0.75-1.68). CONCLUSION: The use of DAPs is very frequent among frail inpatients with comorbidities, but their use has no independent prognostic significance.

The use of legal guardians and financial powers of attorney among home-dwellers with Alzheimer's disease living with their spousal caregivers.

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 1943 spouses of home-dwellers with Alzheimer's disease (AD) to examine the prevalence of court-appointed guardians or financial powers of attorney for persons with AD, related factors and the need for information about these issues among caregiving families. The questionnaire consisted questions on variables of demographic characteristics, disability, symptoms and care needs of the person with dementia, the strain of caregiving, the use of court-appointed legal guardians or powers of attorney, as well as discussions about these issues -- and the need for them -- with a doctor. The response rate was 77% and the mean ages of those with AD and caregivers were 80.2 and 78.2 years, respectively. The use of legal guardians was rare (4.3%), while the use of financial powers of attorney was more common (37.8%). Only 9.9% of the couples had discussed these issues with their doctor, whereas 47.9% expressed a need for it. The factors associated with the use of these legal arrangements were related to the severity of dementia, including experiencing dementia symptoms for more than 3 years, poor functioning, incontinence and behavioural symptoms. There is a clear need for information on medico-legal issues related to dementia among caregivers of AD patients. If held soon after the diagnosis, such discussions could support the autonomy of these persons in spite of AD and enable them to plan for the future as they wish.

How do elderly spouse care givers of people with Alzheimer disease experience the disclosure of dementia diagnosis and subsequent care?

OBJECTIVES: To examine the experiences of spousal care givers of Alzheimer patients to disclosure of dementia diagnosis and subsequent care. METHODS: A random sample of 1943 spousal care givers of people receiving medication for Alzheimer disease (AD) was sent a cross-sectional postal survey about their opinions on the disclosure of dementia and follow-up care. A smaller qualitative study (n = 63) included open-ended questions concerning their experiences of the same topics. RESULTS: The response rate for the survey was 77%. Of the respondents, 1214 of 1434 acknowledged themselves as their spouse's care giver. The mean age of the care givers was 78.2 years, and that of demented spouses, 80.5 years. Of the care givers, 63% were women. The couples had long-lasting marriages (mean 52 years). Of the care givers, 93% reported that dementia had been disclosed openly to their spouse; 97% also preferred that physicians openly inform the patients of the dementia diagnosis, although 55% of their spouses with AD had developed depressive symptoms after the disclosure. Of the care givers, 71% felt they had received sufficient information about dementia. However, only 50% estimated that their spouses' follow-up care had been well organised. The responses in the qualitative study indicated that many care givers felt grief and anxiety. They also expressed feelings of loneliness and uncertainty about how to deal with follow-up care for dementia. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly spousal care givers were quite satisfied with the information given them about dementia. However, the support with regard to the follow-up care of care-giving families failed to meet their needs adequately.