Determinants of a sense of insecurity among home-dwelling older people.

Aims: A sense of insecurity may have an impact on older people's well-being and their courage to engage actively in meaningful activities. Studies on a sense of insecurity among older people are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which home-dwelling older adults perceive their life as being insecure and how a sense of insecurity is associated with their health, functional status, active social engagement, well-being and perceptions of the societal treatment of older people. Methods: This study is part of the Helsinki Aging Study, a cohort study ongoing since 1989. Data were collected using a postal questionnaire that was mailed in 2019 to a random sample of home-dwelling older people ⩾75 years of age living in Helsinki (N=2917; response rate 74%). The questionnaire inquired about the respondents' sense of security/insecurity, and they were subcategorised into those feeling secure and those feeling insecure based on their answers. Results: Seven per cent of respondents felt insecure in their lives. In a stepwise logistic regression analysis, loneliness, living alone and perceived poor societal treatment of older people were associated with a sense of insecurity, while having good self-rated health, having children and meeting friends at least weekly were associated with lower odds of insecurity. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of recognising and combating loneliness, social isolation and societal ageism in order to reduce insecurity among older people and to support their active engagement in life.

Monetary value of informal caregiving in dementia from a societal perspective.

BACKGROUND: Dementia is a condition which results in a high cost of care, a significant proportion of which is the cost associated with informal care. In previous studies, informal caregiving has been challenging to assess due to difficulties in estimating the true time spent on caregiving work and how to value caregivers' time. The aim of this study was to compare the costs of dementia among patients living alone and among those living with a caregiver to show the monetary value of informal caregiving from a societal perspective. METHODS: Data from our four dementia trials using the same measures were combined, allowing the inclusion of 604 participants. Participants were followed up for 2 years or until death for their use of health and social services. Use of all services was retrieved from medical/social records. We also included the costs of lost productivity of those caregivers who were not retired. RESULTS: The total mean cost of services and lost productivity was €22,068/person-year (pyrs). Participants living alone had a mean cost of €45,156/pyrs, whereas those living with a spouse had a mean cost of €16,416/pyrs (mean cost ratio 2.99, 95% confidence interval 2.64-3.39). Participants living alone and having <15 Mini-Mental State Examination points had higher costs than people with dementia in institutional care. CONCLUSIONS: Detailed data of service use and characteristics of people with dementia showed that from a societal perspective, living alone is a very strong determinant of service use in dementia. Informal caregivers do invaluable work for society.

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms as Predictors of Falls in Long-Term Care Residents With Cognitive Impairment.

OBJECTIVES: Falls and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are common among long-term care residents with cognitive impairment. Despite the high prevalence of falls and NPS, little is known about their association. The aim of our study was to explore how NPS, particularly the severity of NPS and specific NPS subgroups, are associated with falls and how psychotropics modify this association. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: In total, 532 long-term care residents aged 65 years or older in Helsinki, Finland. METHODS: NPS were measured with Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) at baseline. Participants were grouped into 3 groups: no significant NPS (NPI points 0‒3), low NPS burden (NPI 4‒12), and high NPS burden (NPI >12). The number of falls, injuries, fractures, and hospitalizations were collected from medical records over 12 months following baseline assessment. RESULTS: Altogether, 606 falls occurred during the follow-up year. The falls led to 121 injuries, 42 hospitalizations, and 20 fractures. Falls and injuries increased significantly with NPS burden (P < .001): 330 falls in the high NPS group (n = 184), 188 falls in the low NPS group (n = 181), and 88 falls in the no significant NPS group (n = 167). The risk of falling showed a curvilinear association with NPI total score. Of NPS subgroups, psychosis and hyperactivity were associated with a higher incidence rate ratio of falls, whereas apathy had a protective association even after adjustment for age, sex, and mobility. Affective symptoms were not associated with falls. Psychotropics did not modify the association between NPS burden and falls. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The results of this study show that NPS, especially NPS severity, may predict falls and fall-related negative consequences. Severity of NPS should be taken into account when assessing fall risk in long-term care residents with cognitive impairment.

Use of Anticholinergic Drugs According to Various Criteria and Their Association With Psychological Well-Being and Mortality in Long-Term Care Facilities.

OBJECTIVES: To compare 3 internationally established criteria for drugs with anticholinergic properties (DAPs) and their associated factors in long-term care facilities, and to investigate the association between use of DAPs and psychological well-being (PWB) or mortality. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study and 1-year follow-up of all-cause mortality. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Of all 4449 residents living in long-term care facilities in Helsinki in 2011, 2432 (≥65 years of age) participated after exclusion of residents with severe dementia. MEASUREMENTS: Data on demographics, medication use, and active diagnoses were collected by trained staff using structured questionnaires. DAP use was defined by the following 3 international criteria: Chew's list, the Anticholinergic Risk Scale, and the Anticholinergic Drug Scale. The total number of DAPs was counted and referred to as anticholinergic burden. PWB was assessed by a questionnaire and yielded a score ranging from 0 to 1. Mortality data was retrieved from central registers. RESULTS: Of all participants, 85% were DAP users according to at least 1 of the 3 criteria used. Overlap between the 3 criteria was only moderate. DAP users were younger and a larger proportion of them had better cognition. However, they suffered more often from depression and other psychiatric diagnoses than nonusers. DAP users had lower PWB scores than those not using DAPs, and PWB decreased linearly in the overlapping groups from nonusers to those using DAPs according to all 3 criteria. The total number of DAPs used predicted mortality. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: DAP use and PWB appear to be negatively associated. When combining several criteria of DAPs, their burden predicted mortality. Clinicians should carefully consider the potential benefits and harms when prescribing DAPs to older persons.

Fourteen-Year Trends in the Use of Psychotropic Medications, Opioids, and Other Sedatives Among Institutionalized Older People in Helsinki, Finland.

OBJECTIVES: The use of psychotropic drugs in long-term care (LTC) is very common, despite their known adverse effects. The prevalence of opioid use is growing among older adults. This study aimed to investigate trends in the prevalence of psychotropics, opioids, and sedative load in a LTC setting over a 14-year period. We also explored the interaction of psychotropic and opioid use according to residents' dementia status in nursing home (NH) and assisted living facility (ALF) settings. DESIGN: Four cross-sectional studies. SETTING: Institutional settings in Helsinki, Finland. PARTICIPANTS: Older residents in NHs in 2003 (n = 1987), 2011 (n = 1576), and 2017 (n = 791) and in ALFs in 2007 (n = 1377), 2011 (n = 1586), and 2017 (n = 1624). MEASURES: Comparable assessments were conducted among LTC residents at 4 time points over 14 years. The prevalence of regular psychotropics, opioids, and other sedatives and data on demographics and diagnoses were collected from medical records. RESULTS: Disabilities and severity of dementia increased in both settings over time. The prevalence of all psychotropics decreased significantly in NHs (from 81% in 2003 to 61% in 2017), whereas in ALFs there was no similar linear trend (65% in 2007 and 64% in 2017). There was a significant increase in the prevalence of opioids in both settings (30% in NHs and 22% in AFLs in 2017). Residents with dementia used less psychotropics and opioids than those without dementia in both settings and at each time point. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: NHs show a favorable trend in psychotropic drug use, but the rates of psychotropic use remain high in both NHs and ALFs. In addition, the rates of opioid use have almost tripled, leading to a high sedative load among LTC residents. Clinicians should carefully consider the risk-to-benefit ratio when prescribing in LTC.

Relationship of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms with Falls in Alzheimer's Disease - Does Exercise Modify the Risk?

OBJECTIVES: To explore how neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) are associated with number of falls and how exercise modifies the risk of falling in community-dwelling people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and NPS. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling individuals with AD (N=210) who completed the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) (N = 179). INTERVENTION: Participants were randomized into 3 groups: group-based exercise (4-hour sessions with approximately 1 hour of training) and tailored home-based exercise (1 hour of training) twice a week for 1 year and a control group receiving usual community care. In this secondary analysis, we merged the home-based and group-based exercise groups and compared this group with the control group. MEASUREMENTS: NPS were measured using the NPI at baseline, and spousal caregivers recorded falls in daily fall diaries during 1 year of follow-up. RESULTS: The number of falls increased linearly with NPI score in the control group. Fall rates were 1.48 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.26-1.73) per person-year in the intervention group and 2.87 (95% CI=2.43-3.35) in the control group. Adjusted for age, sex, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score, incidence rate ratio (IRR) was 0.48 (95% Cl=0.39-0.60, p < .001). Main effects for fall rate were significant for group (p < .001) and NPI total (p < .02); the interaction effect was also significant (p = .009) (adjusted for sex, age, MMSE score, SPPB score, and psychotropic medication use). CONCLUSION: Exercise may decrease the risk of falling in community-dwelling individuals with AD and NPS. Future exercise trials should confirm this finding in participants with significant NPS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12608000037303. J Am Geriatr Soc 66:2377-2381, 2018.

Effects of Cognitive Training on Cognition and Quality of Life of Older Persons with Dementia.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of cognitive training on cognition and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in community-dwelling persons with dementia. DESIGN: Single-blind randomized controlled trial with 3- and 9-month follow-up. SETTING: Adult day care centers in Helsinki, Finland. PARTICIPANTS: Older individuals with mild to moderate dementia living at home and attending adult day care twice a week (N = 147; mean age 83, 72% female, 63% at mild stage of dementia). INTERVENTION: A systematic 12-week training program focused on subskills of executive function: attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and planning. The intervention group (n = 76) underwent cognitive training twice a week for 45 minutes, and the control group (n = 71) attended day care as usual. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcomes were the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) for global cognition and the 15-dimensional instrument (15D) for HRQoL. The outcomes were measured at baseline and 3 and 9 months. RESULTS: Both groups deteriorated in global cognition and HRQoL during follow-up, and there were no differences between the two groups in change on the ADAS-Cog (P = .43) or 15D (P = .61) over time (adjusted for age and sex). At 3 months, changes were 0.8 (95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.2-1.8) for the intervention group and 1.7 (95% CI = 0.6-2.7) for the control group on the ADAS-Cog and -0.040 (95% CI = -0.058 to -0.021) for the intervention group and -0.037 (95% CI = -0.056 to -0.018) for the control group on the 15D. CONCLUSION: Systematic cognitive training had no effect on global cognition or HRQoL in community-living persons with mild to moderate dementia.

How Do Community-Dwelling Persons with Alzheimer Disease Fall? Falls in the FINALEX Study.

BACKGROUND: People with dementia are at high risk for falls. However, little is known of the features causing falls in Alzheimer disease (AD). Our aim was to investigate how participants with AD fall. METHODS: In the FINALEX (Finnish Alzheimer Disease Exercise Trial) study, participants' (n = 194) falls were followed up for 1 year by diaries kept by their spouses. RESULTS: The most common reason for falls (n = 355) was stumbling (n = 61). Of the falls, 123 led to injuries, 50 to emergency department visits, and 13 to fractures. The participants without falls (n = 103) were younger and had milder dementia than those with 1 (n = 34) or ≥2 falls (n = 57). Participants with a Mini Mental State Examination score of around 10 points were most prone to fall. In adjusted regression models, good nutritional status, good physical functioning, and use of antihypertensive medication (incident rate ratio [IRR] 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.54-0.85) protected against falls, whereas fall history (IRR 2.71, 95% CI 2.13-3.44), osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, higher number of drugs, drugs with anticholinergic properties, psychotropics, and opioids (IRR 4.27, 95% CI 2.92-6.24) were risk factors for falls. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides a detailed account on how and why people with AD fall, suggesting several risk and protective factors.

Effects of Exercise on Functional Performance and Fall Rate in Subjects with Mild or Advanced Alzheimer's Disease: Secondary Analyses of a Randomized Controlled Study.

BACKGROUND: Exercise improves functional performance in subjects with dementia. However, whether the benefits of exercise are evident in all stages of dementia remains uncertain. This study examines how people in different stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) benefit from exercise intervention in their physical functioning and risk of falling. METHODS: The present study is a subanalysis of a randomized controlled trial examining the effects of exercise intervention (twice a week for 12 months) in AD patients (n = 194). We studied the effects separately in participants with mild dementia and in participants with advanced dementia. RESULTS: In subjects with mild dementia, the deterioration in physical functioning was slower in the intervention group than in the controls. Changes in Functional Independence Measure at 12 months were -2.7 (95% CI -0.5 to -4.9) in the intervention group and -10.1 (95% CI -7.0 to -13.3) in the control group (p < 0.001). The exercise intervention proved effective in preventing falls among patients with advanced AD, with an incidence rate ratio of 0.47 (95% CI 0.37-0.60; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Regular exercise may slow the rate of functional deterioration in mild AD and reduce falls in patients suffering from advanced AD.

Effects of Exercise on Cognition: The Finnish Alzheimer Disease Exercise Trial: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether a regular, long-term exercise program performed by individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) at home or as group-based exercise at an adult daycare center has beneficial effects on cognition; to examine secondary outcomes of a trial that has been published earlier. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling dyads (N = 210) of individuals with AD and their spousal caregivers randomized into three groups. INTERVENTION: Two types of intervention comprising customized home-based exercise (HE) and group-based exercise (GE), each twice a week for 1 year, were compared with a control group (CG) receiving usual community care. MEASUREMENTS: Cognitive function was measured using the Clock Drawing Test (CDT), Verbal Fluency (VF), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months of follow-up. RESULTS: Executive function, measured using CDT, improved in the HE group, and changes in the score were significantly better than those of the CG at 12 months (adjusted for age, sex, and CDR, P = .03). All groups deteriorated in VF and MMSE score during the intervention, and no significant differences between the groups were detected at 12-month follow-up when analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and CDR. CONCLUSION: Regular, long-term, customized HE improved the executive function of community-dwelling older people with memory disorders, but the effects were mild and were not observed in other domains of cognition.