Cognitive Testing Battery: differences among groups with dementia, Huntington's disease, and controls

This study evaluated a new test for dementia, the Cognitive Testing Battery, used for over six years in outpatient clinics for aging-related disorders. This battery was developed to be brief, easy to administer, and to provide useful feedback as a cognitive profile for clinicians, patients, and caregivers. 489 participants were tested during a 5-yr. period. Multidisicplinary teams diagnosed these patients with dementia, depression, or Huntington's Disease. A control group was also included. Groups were then compared on the 10 key subscales that subserve dementia populations. Analysis showed there were significant differences among the groups on all measures and that selected scales differentiated the groups. The total score maximally differentiated the groups, and the dementia group was most different from the other groups.     

A comparative study of laws, rules, codes and other influences on nursing homes' disaster preparedness in the Gulf Coast states

In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated several Gulf Coast states and caused many deaths. The hurricane- related deaths of 70 nursing home residents--34 believed drowned in St. Rita's Nursing Home in Louisiana and 36 from 12 other nursing homes--highlighted problems associated with poorly developed and executed disaster plans, uninformed evacuation decision-making, and generally inadequate response by providers and first responders (DHHS, 2006; Hyer, Brown, Berman, & Polivka-West, 2006). Such loss of human life perhaps could have been prevented and certainly lessened if, prior to the hurricanes, policies, regulations, and laws had been enacted, executable disaster guidelines been available, vendor contracts been honored, and sufficient planning taken place. This article discusses applicable federal and state laws and regulations that govern disaster preparedness with a particular focus on nursing homes. It highlights gaps in these laws and makes suggestions regarding future disaster planning.     

Relation of the Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status to measures of daily functioning in dementia

In the present study were examined relations of scores on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (Randolph, 1998) with measures of daily functioning in a sample with dementia. Participants (N=66) with various forms of dementia were seen at a dementia diagnostic clinic. All participants were administered the battery as part of a larger battery of neuropsychological measures. The participants' functional status was assessed by their primary caregivers, who completed the Physical Self-maintenance Scale and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale (Lawton & Brody, 1969) as part of a social work interview. Analysis indicated that the Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, particularly the Attention, Visuospatial/Constructional, and Immediate Memory indices, strongly correlated with measures of daily functioning. These results were supported by multiple regression analyses showing the RBANS Attention and Immediate Memory indices as significant predictors of functional abilities. One may conclude the RBANS should be favorably considered in understanding the functional problems of probable dementing patients.     

Behavioral training and predisposed coping strategies interact to influence resilience in male Long-Evans rats: implications for depression

Effective coping strategies and adaptive behavioral training build resilience against stress-induced pathology. Both predisposed and acquired coping strategies were investigated in rats to determine their impact on stress responsiveness and emotional resilience. Male Long-Evans rats were assigned to one of the three coping groups: passive, active, or variable copers. Rats were then randomly assigned to either an effort-based reward (EBR) contingent training group or a non-contingent training group. Following EBR training, rats were tested in appetitive and stressful challenge tasks. Physiological responses included changes in fecal corticosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) metabolites as well as neuropeptide Y (NPY)-immunoreactivity in the hippocampus and amygdala. Regardless of a rat's predisposed coping strategy, EBR rats persisted longer than non-contingent rats in the appetitive problem-solving task. Furthermore, training and coping styles interacted to yield the seemingly most adaptive DHEA/corticosterone ratios in the EBR-trained variable copers. Regardless of training group, variable copers exhibited increased NPY-immunoreactivity in the CA1 region.     

Changing attitudes of women towards family-related tasks in young adulthood

Sex Roles - This study adds to the research on sex-role attitudes by examining the importance women of varying age groups place upon marriage and family-related tasks of young adulthood. Two...     

The family of later life: Strategies and interventions

The concerns of the family of later life have only recently become evident. Unlike other age groups, when problems of an elder surface, they almost always involve other family members. Family members tend to become highly involved, alter their lives, and offer support. All this provides a ready condition for family pathology to assert itself. Accordingly, three common strategies used by families of later life are presented and discussed. The effect on the whole family system is stressed. Also, two therapeutic interventions are presented. Since problems related to elders are particularly resistant to therapy, these two interventions are designed for well family members. Case material is presented.     

Similarities and differences between MMPI and MMPI-2 applications to the assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder

The purpose of this study was to address the question: Is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) comparable to the original MMPI in its applicability to the assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Vietnam combat veterans? The question was addressed by administering both the original MMPI and MMPI-2 to 29 subjects classified as meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.; DSM-III-R) criteria for PTSD and comparing MMPI and MMPI-2 scores in terms of: degree of association, code-type congruence, diagnostic hit rates (when compared to two other clinical samples, and one normal sample), and congruence of the Keane PTSD Scale (PK). Results reveal highly significant correlations between MMPI and MMPI-2 basic scales for the PTSD sample as well as congruence in 2-point codes comparable to previous studies. The MMPI-2 was found to identify effectively PTSD subjects from the other groups. Results also showed a high degree of association between the MMPI and MMPI-2 in regard to PK scores, although minor differences were found in PK raw scores between the two tests. Overall, the findings suggest a high degree of comparability between the MMPI and MMPI-2 in the assessment of PTSD.