María Florencia Tartaglini

Vulnerabilidad psicosocial del cuidador familiar. Creencias acerca del estado de salud del paciente neurológico y el sentimiento de sobrecarga

Resumen Objetivo Se intenta evaluar el papel de las creencias del cuidador familiar sobre el estado de salud del paciente neurologico y su relacion con el sentimiento de sobrecarga como factores de riesgo psicosocial para su salud psicofisica, desde el modelo de estres psicologico propuesto por Lazarus y Folkman. Sujetos y metodos Fueron entrevistados 128 cuidadores familiares (35 asistian a pacientes con traumatismo craneoencefalico, 38 a pacientes con esclerosis multiple y 55 a pacientes con demencia), seleccionados con la estrategia de muestreo estadistico no probabilistica, de tipo accidental. Se siguio el diseno descriptivo-comparativo, de corte transversal. Fueron utilizados un cuestionario de datos sociodemograficos y de creencias del cuidador, y la Escala de Sobrecarga del Cuidador de Zarit y Zarit. Resultados Cuanto mas negativas las creencias del cuidador, mayor probabilidad de que experimenten sentimientos mas intensos de sobrecarga. Los cuidadores de pacientes con esclerosis multiple creen, en mayor proporcion que los otros, en un mal estado de salud del enfermo, asociado a sentimientos de sobrecarga mas intensos, resultando ser los mas probablemente vulnerables frente al estres. Discusion El esclarecimiento del papel que cumplen los factores de riesgo psicosocial del cuidador familiar de enfermos neurologicos brindara elementos de juicio de interes para generar estrategias de intervencion psicoeducativas para ellos, paralelas a las clinicas, para el resguardo de su bienestar, y asi contar con una buena red de cuidado informal para este tipo de pacientes.

Prevalence of Geriatric Depression and Alexithymia and their association with sociodemographic characteristics in a sample of elderly persons living in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fil: Tartaglini, Maria Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiologicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiologicas; Argentina

THE ROLE OF LEISURE ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT ADULT Life Span: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN MCI PATIENTS AND HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS

1 16 8.20 1.40 19 7.40 1.21 0.60 [-0.08, 1.28] 1.73 0.084 12.3 29.2 4 113 14.30 2.80 108 13.50 2.90 0.28 [0.01, 0.54] 2.07 0.039 81.5 51.3 5 11 14.30 2.80 10 10.80 2.30 1.30 [0.34, 2.27] 2.66 0.008 6.2 19.5 Fixed effect model 0.38 [0.14, 0.62] 3.14 0.002 100.0 Random effects model 0.57 [-0.60, 1.75] 2.10 0.170 100.0 Prediction Interval [-4.99, 6.14] Poster Presentations: Tuesday, July 24, 2018 P1360

PREVALENCE OF GERIATRIC DEPRESSION AND ALEXITHYMIA IN WIFE CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA

(observed in the patient) were found between caregivers of DLB and PDD. Self-reported burden profiles were similar across all caregivers. Conclusions:These findings support the hypothesis that there are differences in the experience of caregiving for those with DLB and other dementia types. These findings also support the hypothesis that a greater frequency in behavior problems exhibited by the patient can lead to greater reports of grief in the caregiver. While there were no differences found in the experience of caregiver burden between diseases, the lack of differences may be due to the failure of current measures to capture the unique facets of DLB. The creation of new measures is needed to investigate other potential differences in the caregiving experience for patients with DLB.

OCCUPATIONAL SELF-DIRECTION AND ITS ROLE AS A BUFFERING FACTOR OF COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN OLD AGE: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

the particular fMRI experiment. Results: Following 4 months of intensive individual training, we found improvement in tests of memory and executive functions in both physical training groups. In the fMRI experiments,we found reliable responses to story condition in regions that are related to higher order processing of information (temporo-parietal junction, marginal, supramarginal gyri, frontal areas). Moreover, hippocampal activation inmemory encoding task increased followingaerobic intervention. In addition, increasedBDNFwascorrelated with improved cognition, with no association with the type of exercise. Conclusions: The physical training results in functional and structural changes. Our findings demonstrated that cognitive performance can be affected by exercise of both types. The insights gained from the study may have important scientific value and clinical implications for individuals who are at the early stages of AD.

FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA: AN ANALYSIS OF THE FEELING OF BURDEN ACCORDING TO THEIR VULNERABILITY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL RESOURCES

Background:Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is regarded as both a risk state for dementia and an intermediate state between normal aging and dementia (Gauthier et al., 2006; Luis et al., 2003; DeCarli, 2003). There is no standard treatment for MCI. Regular participation in dance preserves cognition into old age (Katenstroth, 2010) and leisure activities which include dancing likewise reduce the risk for dementia (Verghese, 2003). Dance combines physical activity, social and emotional engagement, and cognitive stimulation all thought to maintain synaptic connections and plasticity. A structured modular ballroom dance program called “indak” or rhythm was designed by a multidisciplinary team using concepts of visualization, musicality exercise, improvisation and dance recall, and increasing complexity. Indak was pilot tested and showed compliance was good. We examined whether ballroom dancing could improve cognition. Methods: This single-blinded (blind assessor) observational study was done on elderly diagnosed with MCI based on the Petersen criteria. We used Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-Cog), Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Philippines (MoCA-P), Mini-Mental State ExamPhilippines (MMSE-P) for baseline and post-intervention assessment. The intervention consisted of one-hour dance sessions twice weekly for 12 months and conducted by professionally certified dance teachers. Paired t-testswere used to compare preand post-interventions scores, and unpaired t-test for comparing post-intervention scores between dancers and non-dancers. Results: All 207 Filipino elderly with MCI underwent baseline assessment. One hundred one vounteered to participate in the intervention. Baseline versus post-intervention scores showed the dancers’ mean change improved in ADAS-Cog, MoCA-P and MMSE-P (3.1665.99, 0.9663.33, 0.8962.39 respectively) and all were significant (p<0.01). Among controls, only theMMSE significantly improved. When the post-intervention scores were compared between dancers and controls, the difference in the MoCA-P, Logical Memory and Boston Naming were likewise significant. Conclusions: Indak is a 12-month ballroom dance program that is novel and effective yet relatively inexpensive non-pharmacological strategy to improve cognition among community-dwelling elderly Filipinos with MCI. Ballroom dance can then be studied in a randomized controlled trial, alone or as part of multidimensional intervention, to delay dementia onset or modify progression of MCI.

Stress and Vulnerability Due to the Care Task: An Observational Study on Older Caregivers

Fil: Tartaglini, Maria Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiologicas (i); Argentina