TY - JOUR
T1 - Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in People With Korsakoff Syndrome and Other Alcohol-Related Cognitive Disorders Living in Specialized Long-Term Care Facilities
T2 - Prevalence, Severity, and Associated Caregiver Distress
AU - Gerridzen, Ineke J.
AU - Hertogh, Cees M.P.M.
AU - Depla, Marja F.
AU - Veenhuizen, Ruth B.
AU - Verschuur, Els M.L.
AU - Joling, Karlijn J.
PY - 2018/3/1
Y1 - 2018/3/1
N2 - Objectives: Caring for people with Korsakoff syndrome (KS) residing in specialized long-term care facilities (LTCFs) can be distressing because of challenging neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS). However, good-quality studies on NPS in this under-researched population are lacking. This study examined the prevalence and severity of NPS in people with KS living in specialized LTCFs and the associated caregiver distress. Design: Cross-sectional, observational study. Data were obtained using structured interviews with care staff, elderly care physicians, and residents. Setting: Nine specialized LTCFs in the Netherlands. Participants: KS residents admitted for at least 3 months. Measurements: The prevalence and severity of NPS were measured with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q). The associated caregiver distress was assessed with the NPI Distress Scale (NPI-D) according to the nurse or nurse assistant. Results: Almost all of the 281 residents (96.4%) showed at least 1 NPS and 45.8% showed 5 or more symptoms. Irritability/lability (68.3%), agitation/aggression (58.7%), and disinhibition (52.7%) were most prevalent. Although the mean level of severity for all NPS was relatively low, half of the residents (49.1%) had at least 1 severe NPS. Care staff experienced low levels of distress associated with NPS. Conclusion: NPS are highly prevalent in KS residents. Unexpectedly, these did not have any severe impact on residents and care staff. Acquiring more insight into the persistence and course of NPS, and its associations, among KS residents is important to better understand and reduce these symptoms and, ultimately, improve the quality of care for these residents.
AB - Objectives: Caring for people with Korsakoff syndrome (KS) residing in specialized long-term care facilities (LTCFs) can be distressing because of challenging neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS). However, good-quality studies on NPS in this under-researched population are lacking. This study examined the prevalence and severity of NPS in people with KS living in specialized LTCFs and the associated caregiver distress. Design: Cross-sectional, observational study. Data were obtained using structured interviews with care staff, elderly care physicians, and residents. Setting: Nine specialized LTCFs in the Netherlands. Participants: KS residents admitted for at least 3 months. Measurements: The prevalence and severity of NPS were measured with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q). The associated caregiver distress was assessed with the NPI Distress Scale (NPI-D) according to the nurse or nurse assistant. Results: Almost all of the 281 residents (96.4%) showed at least 1 NPS and 45.8% showed 5 or more symptoms. Irritability/lability (68.3%), agitation/aggression (58.7%), and disinhibition (52.7%) were most prevalent. Although the mean level of severity for all NPS was relatively low, half of the residents (49.1%) had at least 1 severe NPS. Care staff experienced low levels of distress associated with NPS. Conclusion: NPS are highly prevalent in KS residents. Unexpectedly, these did not have any severe impact on residents and care staff. Acquiring more insight into the persistence and course of NPS, and its associations, among KS residents is important to better understand and reduce these symptoms and, ultimately, improve the quality of care for these residents.
KW - Alcohol-related cognitive disorder
KW - Korsakoff syndrome
KW - Long-term care
KW - Neuropsychiatric symptoms
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85032211129&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2017.09.013
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2017.09.013
M3 - Article
C2 - 29079031
SN - 1525-8610
VL - 19
SP - 240
EP - 247
JO - Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
JF - Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
IS - 3
ER -