Justyna Mazurek

Met and unmet care needs of the elderly with dementia living at home: Personal and informal carers’ perspectives:

In Poland, there are few reports of the holistic approach to caring for older people with dementia. The aim of this study was to assess the needs of people with dementia living at home. This was done by evaluating the perspective of people with dementia themselves and that of their carers. The study included 47 people diagnosed with mild to moderate dementia and 41 informal carers, all living in Wroclaw in Poland, involved in the MeetingDem project. The needs were assessed using the CANE. Other scales used were: the MMSE, the GDS and the QOL-AD. The carers reported significantly more needs, both met and unmet, than the people with dementia themselves. The most frequent reported unmet needs both by the people with dementia and their carers included activities of daily living, psychological distress and the need for company. Based on this study’s findings, tailored multidisciplinary treatment, adjusted to their needs and wishes, can be offered thus creating integrated and individualised support.

FIMA, the questionnaire for health-related resource use in the elderly population: validity, reliability, and usage of the Polish version in clinical practice

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Polish version of the Questionnaire for Health-Related Resource Use in an Elderly Population [Fragebogen zur Inanspruchnahme medizinischer und nicht-medizinischer Versorgungsleistungen im Alter (FIMA)]. Patients and methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a rehabilitation care unit in Poland between January and June of 2017. Sixty-one patients aged ≥65 years who had been admitted to the unit were enrolled into the study. Each participant was evaluated twice: once within 48 hours of admission (T1) and once after 2 weeks (T2). Results The translated instrument was understood by most respondents in a selected population and it maintained a reading and comprehension level that was accessible by most respondents, even of a low education level. With the aid of the prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), 100% test–retest reliability for 10 out of the 12 questions that were subjected to analysis was indicated. The most frequent health-related resource uses were appointments at the general practitioner (90.2%) and orthopedist (54.1%), medication (93.4%), and the necessity to have glasses as supportive equipment (70.5%). Conclusion The Polish FIMA demonstrated very good test–retest reliability, good validity, and ease of use for elderly people. Further investigation is required. In the future, the routine use of this instrument could be encouraged to assess the use and demand for medical and nonmedical services among the elderly.

Effectiveness of physiotherapy in elderly patients with dementia: a prospective, comparative analysis

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of physiotherapy in nursing home patients with comorbid dementia. Materials and methods: The study group consisted of 88 patients, including 48 people with dementia and 40 people without dementia. Before and after physiotherapy, the Mini Mental State Examination and Barthel Index were used. Results: Elderly patients without dementia achieved a greater improvement in functional status. The level of cognitive functioning at the time of admission to a nursing home, but not the patient’s functional status, had a significant impact on physiotherapy efficacy. Conclusion: Understanding the role of dementia in the rehabilitation process is important for care planning. More research is required to ascertain the efficacy of physiotherapy in people with moderate to severe dementia, including the best strategies to improve their functional status. Implications for Rehabilitation The level of cognitive function is important in the rehabilitation process, and it influences effectiveness of physiotherapy. Physiotherapy efficacy in the group of patients with coexisting dementia is lower than that in patients without dementia. Regular physiotherapy can also improve functional status in patients with coexisting dementia. The results of the study may have utilitarian implications, leading to a change in therapy regimens at physiotherapy centres treating disabled chronically ill people with coexisting dementia.