Vanderbilt University Medical Center

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CLINICAL NEWS FLASH

APATHY a factor in increased mortality in Nursing Home patients

From the Journal of the American Geriatric Society

                                 Apathy is common in nursing home (NH) patients with dementia and is repeatedly found to be the most prevalent neuropsychiatric  ymptom. Apathy is defined by diminished or lack of motivational, goal-directed behavior, and a lack of cognition and emotional affect.  Apathy leads to reduced interest and participation in the main activities of daily living, diminished initiative, early withdrawal from initiated  activities, indifference, and flattening of affect. Over the last two decades, more scientific knowledge has become available about specific fronto-subcortical systems in the brain that may be highly involved in apathy. Disruptions in these systems are found in patients with frontal lobe damage resulting from, for instance, (early-onset) dementia, traumatic brain injury, stroke, or multiple sclerosis. Fronto-subcortical circuits also play an important role in neurological disorders involving the basal ganglia, including Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. The neurodegenerative diseases and acquired brain injuries mentioned here are highly prevalent in patients receiving long-term somatic care (SC), and the widespread clinical manifestation of apathy in SC-units of NHs is thought to be related. However,   in contrast to the abundance of research into apathy in patients within dementia special care units (DSC), research into apathy in SC-patients  without dementia is rare.

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From the Council on Aging of Middle Tennessee

AGING AND CARING: A guide for families and caregivers

This book is designed to assist those caring for an older adult.  Caregivers can include spouses, adult children, family members, neighbors, and friends.  This guide provides the framework for helping caregivers understand a variety of issues while planning for and with an older adult.  

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