Brief ReportsDepression and Its Relationship to Function and Medical Status, By Dementia Status, in Nursing Home Admissions
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METHODS
Subjects were recruited from a stratified random sample of 59 nursing homes in Maryland. Details of methodology are reported elsewhere.7 Briefly, new admissions from September 1992 through March 1995 aged 65 years and older who had not been a resident of a nursing home in the previous year were eligible for inclusion in the study. Nondemented subjects provided their own consent; significant others provided consent for residents not able to provide it due to cognitive or other limitations. Data
RESULTS
Categorizing by age group, 20% of the sample were 65–74 years, 43% were 75–84 years, and 37% were 85+ years. Males comprised 30% of the sample. For race/ethnicity, 80% were white, non-Hispanic; 16.5% were African-American; and 2.5% were Hispanic. In terms of education, 31% had 0–8 years of schooling, 44% had 9–12 years, and 25% had more than 12 years of school. Twenty percent were married.
Table 1 shows rates of depression by dementia status, and rates of depression (by dementia status)
DISCUSSION
This study found significant depressive symptomatology among a statewide sample of newly admitted nursing home residents; approximately 23% experienced significant depressive symptoms. This finding corroborates that of other studies, such as that of Payne et al., which found 19.9% of long-term care admissions with dementia to have significant depressive symptoms.3
This study also demonstrates a relationship between report of depressive symptoms and the co-occurrence of difficulty in performance
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Cited by (33)
The Course of Depressive Symptoms Over 36 Months in 696 Newly Admitted Nursing Home Residents
2022, Journal of the American Medical Directors AssociationObserver-rated depression in long-term care: Frequency and risk factors
2014, Archives of Gerontology and GeriatricsCitation Excerpt :Factors independently associated with prevalent depression in our study included a delirium diagnosis, pain, and diabetes. Previous studies have found the following factors associated with prevalent depression in LTC populations: younger age (Boorsma et al., 2012; Jongenelis et al., 2004), heart disease and Parkinson's disease (Jones et al., 2003), stroke (Jongenelis et al., 2004), functional impairment (Jongenelis et al., 2004; Kaup et al., 2007); greater comorbidity (Kaup et al., 2007). Pain has been reported previously (Jongenelis et al., 2004; Kaup et al., 2007), but there has been no prior research on delirium as a risk factor for depression in LTC.
Anosognosia and depression in patients with Alzheimer's dementia
2013, Archives of Gerontology and GeriatricsCitation Excerpt :Despite the risk of distorted perception as mentioned above, caregiver assessment is very important in AD patients to avoid missing relevant aspects of the illness. The relevance of secondary symptoms of depression and their effects on course and severity of AD is well established and the relevant studies strongly underline the need for action (e.g. Kales, Blow, & Copeland, 1999; Kales, Chen, Blow, Welsch, & Mellow, 2005; Kaup et al., 2007). First, one must consider the assessment of insight into illness with the AQ-D.
Screening for depression in an elderly population living at home. Interest of the Mini-Geriatric Depression Scale
2012, Revue d'Epidemiologie et de Sante PubliquePrevalence, correlates, and disease patterns of antidepressant use in Taiwan
2011, Comprehensive PsychiatryCitation Excerpt :This finding may also be associated with the higher prevalence rate of major depression among the lowest income group [39]. Persons with disabilities such as dementia, stroke, or other chronic medical conditions often have depressive symptoms, so they have a higher percentage of antidepressant use to control depressive features and behavior or emotional problems [42]. In Taiwan, a high proportion of people with a disability have a major illness certification card provided by the Bureau of NHI, which allows them to use medical resources with no copayment.
Depression screening in nursing homes: Involvement of social services departments
2010, American Journal of Geriatric PsychiatryCitation Excerpt :Our results indicate that residents are being screened for depression in most certified NHs. However, separate studies repeatedly confirm the high degree of under treatment of depression.1,2,6,7,10,11,12,20 Research is needed to document the best way to address this disconnect between screening and receipt of effective depression care.
This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging, RO1 AG08211 and R29 AG11407.
This work was presented at the 51st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Philadelphia, PA, November 1998.
The authors acknowledge the cooperation of the facilities, residents, and families participating in the University of Maryland Long-Term Care Project.