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Biomedical subjects

M Orrell

Publications and source records attributed to M Orrell.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Reality orientation for dementia: a systematic review of the evidence of effectiveness from randomized controlled trials.

The effectiveness of classroom reality orientation (RO) in dementia was evaluated by conducting a systematic literature review. This yielded 43 studies, of which 6 were randomized controlled trials meeting the inclusion criteria (containing 125 subjects.) Results were subjected to meta-analysis. Effects on cognition and behavior were significant in favor of treatment (cognition standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.95(-)-0.22; behavior SMD = -0.64, 95% CI = -1.20(-)-0.08). The evidence indicates that RO has benefits on both cognition and behavior for dementia sufferers. However, a continued program may be needed to sustain potential benefits. Future research should evaluate RO in well-designed multicenter trials.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE). Development, validity and reliability.

BACKGROUND: There exists no instrument specifically designed to measure comprehensively the needs of older people with mental disorders. AIM: To develop such an instrument which would take account of patients', staff and careers' views on needs. METHOD: Following an extensive development process, the assessment instrument was subjected to a test-retest and interrater reliability study, while aspects of validity were addressed both during development and with data provided by sites in the UK, Sweden and the USA. RESULTS: The Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE) comprises 24 items (plus two items for career needs), and records staff, career and patient views. It has good content, construct and consensual validity. It also demonstrates appropriate criterion validity. Reliability is generally very high: kappa > 0.85 for all staff ratings of interrater reliability. Correlations of interrater and test-retest reliability of total numbers of needs identified by staff were 0.99 and 0.93, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The psychometric properties of the CANE seem to be highly acceptable. It was easily used by a wide range of professionals without formal training.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2000

Free radicals as mediators of toxicity in Alzheimer's disease: a review and hypothesis.

Recent research has increasingly suggested a central role for free radical induced tissue damage in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this paper we review evidence for the interaction between free radicals and other major factors/metabolic areas which have also been implicated in AD, including beta-amyloidosis, inflammatory cytokines, mitochondrial dysfunction and metal ions/homocysteine. We hypothesize that free radicals and antioxidants should not be considered in isolation in the aetiology and treatment of AD. It is the reciprocal induction and self-amplifying interplay between all of the above factors which is important in the pathogenesis of this disorder, and to which multi-pharmacological therapeutic strategies should be directed.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1999

A survey of social services needs assessments for elderly mentally ill people in England and Wales.

OBJECTIVE: to examine variations in the needs assessment policies and practices of social services departments in England and Wales in dealing with elderly people who have mental illness. DESIGN: postal questionnaire survey. SUBJECTS: a random sample of 61 of 119 social services departments in England and Wales. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: 99-item questionnaire. RESULTS: 40 responses were received (66%). There were substantial differences in the way referrals were screened before needs assessment and in the design of needs assessment procedures. Disagreements between health and social services were common and, although mechanisms existed to respond to urgent needs, almost one-third found such responses difficult to make. CONCLUSIONS: there are national variations in the way needs assessments are performed by social services, which may lead to inequalities in provision of care to individuals. The lack of a standardized approach impedes comparisons of need between areas which might aid in the distribution of resources at a national level.

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PubMed1999

Validity and reliability of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales in psychiatric patients in the community.

BACKGROUND: The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) have been developed for assessing the effectiveness of mental health services. AIMS: To investigate the validity and reliability of the HoNOS in patients in contact with mental health services. METHOD: Subjects (age range 19-64) came from day hospitals, acute in-patient units and out-patient clinics in general practice. We obtained the opinions of experienced professionals, advocacy groups and patient groups to evaluate consensual and content validity. RESULTS: One hundred patients were assessed using the package of rating scales. Interrater and test-retest reliability were good for some items and poor for others. The HoNOS had good criterion validity: acute in-patients had higher scores than day patients and out-patients. HoNOS also had good concurrent validity, correlating well with other scales. Comments suggested that the HoNOS was a useful and suitable scale for this population but psychotic symptoms and certain social factors were not sufficiently covered. CONCLUSION: The HoNOS had good validity but variable reliability. It may be better than existing scales because of the wide range of areas which it covers.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1999

Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for elderly people (HoNOS 65+).

BACKGROUND: Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) have been developed to measure of outcomes in people with mental health problems. AIMS: The particular physical and cognitive problems affecting older people requires a specific scale for their measurement. We describe the development of such a scale, named HoNOS 65+. METHOD: Pilot, validity and reliability studies were carried out on an amended scale. Validity was assessed by comparison with existing scales reflecting depression, cognitive function, psychiatric symptomatology, activities of daily living and functional abilities. Reliability was measured in two centres. RESULTS: HoNOS 65+ was successfully amended to include specific aspects of mental health problems in older people including the phenomenology of depression, delusions occurring in the presence of dementia, incontinence and agitation/restlessness. HoNOS 65+ was able to discriminate between people suffering from organic and functional illnesses. Correlations with other scales indicated reasonable validity. Reliability was satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: Aversion of HoNOS 65+ is presented (see pp. 435-438, this issue) which is appropriate for use in elderly people with mental health problems.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1998

Do health and use of services differ in residents of sheltered accommodation? A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the rates of mental health problems, disability and use of health and social services of older people living in sheltered accommodation with those of the rest of the community in the same age group. DESIGN: Door-to-door survey in randomly selected enumeration districts. The districts contained three sheltered accommodation complexes. Residents from these addresses were compared with the others. SETTING: London Borough of Islington. SUBJECTS: 700 men and women aged 65 or over. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Short-CARE depression, dementia and activity scales; the Guy's/Age Concern anxiety scale; individual items detailing problems with mobility, vision and hearing; use of a number of health and social services. RESULTS: The only difference in mental health variables on univariate analysis was a greater severity of cognitive impairment and dementia symptoms in sheltered accommodation. When demographic differences were taken into account, the association with cognitive impairment became statistically insignificant. There were significant associations between residence in sheltered accommodation and several of the disability variables. Increased use of health and social services by sheltered residents remained significant after disability and living alone were taken into account. CONCLUSIONS: The residents of sheltered accommodation were more disabled than the general elderly population but, in contrast to those in residential care, did not have a great excess of mental health problems. Indeed, the possibility was raised that sheltered accommodation may protect against depression in people who live alone.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

A pilot study of needs assessment in acute psychiatric inpatients.

The needs of acute psychiatric patients have been less studied than those of long-term patients. A pilot study of needs assessment using the MRC Needs for Care Assessment Schedule is reported in 35 consecutive acute inpatients who had been in hospital for 1 month or more. Unmet clinical needs included treatment of drug side effects and dangerous and socially embarrassing behaviour. Unmet social needs were widespread and included household shopping, cooking meals, occupation and money management. Although the MRC Needs for Care Assessment was found unsuitable for assessing needs in very acutely ill patients whose mental status was rapidly changing, we did find it a useful instrument in more stable acute patients, both on an individual basis and for identifying service underprovision.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

A five-year follow-up study of older long-stay clients with intellectual disability using the Disability Assessment Schedule.

The emphasis on community care means closure of the long-stay institutions for people with intellectual disability. Studies have indicated that older people with intellectual disability in particular may not be adequately cared for because of poor monitoring of their changing needs and inadequate provision of services. The use of rating instruments to monitor changes, and to predict outcome or needs in this population may help to improve care by assisting with planning and projection of service requirements. In 1991, all residents of a long-stay hospital for people with intellectual disability were assessed using the Disability Assessment Schedule (DAS). Five years later, the 1991 scores of the older residents (aged > 50 years) were reviewed and compared under three outcome groups: in-patients, discharged and deceased. Furthermore, all older people resident in the hospital in 1996 were reassessed using the DAS. Out of the 144 older clients resident in 1991, five years later, 78 were still in-patients, 38 had been discharged into the community and 28 were deceased. In 1991, the decreased group had the greatest problems with continence and symbolic behaviour, while the discharged group had the greatest problems with self-help, vision, hearing, communication, social interaction, echolalia and repetitive speech. In comparison with 1991, the 1996 DAS scores of older residents showed that there were increasing problems with vision, hearing, communication, behaviour and symbolic activities. The present study suggested that the DAS is a useful instrument for monitoring change and predicting outcome in older people with intellectual disability.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1997

Can frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease be differentiated using a brief battery of tests?

OBJECTIVE: To compare the performance of patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) on a range of simple neuropsychological tests. DESIGN: A battery of neuropsychological tests easily applied at the bedside, consisting of traditional tests of memory, attention and executive function, were given together with tests of motor sequencing and examination of frontal release signs. In addition, we devised a theoretically motivated test of dual attention-a story with distraction which also contained a 'social dilemma'. SETTING: Specialist memory and cognitive disorders clinic. PATIENTS: 12 patients with FTD and 12 patients with AD, matched for overall level of dementia on the Mini-Mental State Examination, were selected. RESULTS: In general, the difference in results between FTD and AD patients was small. However, a composite score derived from the presence of a grasp and pout reflex, the number of perseverations during category fluency for animals and response to the social dilemma within the two stories produced a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 91.6%. There was also a highly significant difference between patients with FTD and AD in scores achieved on the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale reflecting the marked change in behaviour that patients with FTD suffer, even at a stage when memory functions are well preserved. CONCLUSION: Traditional neuropsychological tests were poor at differentiating cases of FTD and AD; however, a composite (SIFTD) score appears potentially useful but requires prospective validation. Better methods of assessing the changes in comportment that characterize the early stages of FTD are required.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Does a teaching programme improve general practitioners' management of depression in the elderly?

General Practitioners have a central role to play in the management of depression in their older patients. However, studies suggest that GPs tend to underdiagnose and undermanage depression in this age group. Continuing Medical Education is an important part of helping GPs keep up to date and improve their practice. We set out to see what effect a half a day postgraduate training course had on the views and knowledge of a group of local GPs on the management of depression in the elderly. Twenty-one general practitioners attended the course and of these fifteen completed a questionnaire with clinical vignettes before and six weeks after the course. Analysis of the questionnaire and vignette data showed significant improvements in a number of areas: in particular, GPs' knowledge about antidepressant treatment increased, as did their preference for cognitive behavioural therapy out of a range of psychological treatments. This study indicates that a teaching package on depression in the elderly can improve general practitioner's management knowledge. It also suggests that old age psychiatrists can play an important part in the education of their GP colleagues. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to ensure that educational programmes make an effective impact on the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of depression in the elderly.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1997

The symptomatology of depression in the elderly.

Older people may have a different pattern of depressive symptoms to that found earlier in life, in particular having more somatic symptoms and less overt low mood symptoms. Few attempts have been made to relate such differences to more general aspects of cognitive or emotional processing, such as the presence of dysfunctional attitudes or of alexithymia. Symptom differences within depression in old age have also received relatively little study, as has the ability of individual symptoms to distinguish between depressed and non-depressed elderly populations. These issues have been examined in two studies. In the first, a random sample of 700 subjects aged 65 years and over were identified through door-knocking in randomized enumeration districts in Islington, a socially deprived region of inner city London, and evaluated using a shortened version of the Comprehensive Assessment and Referral Evaluation (Short-CARE), which incorporates a depression subscale (DPDS). All 18 DPDS items distinguished significantly between depressed and non-depressed subjects (P < 0.0001). Depressed men were significantly more pessimistic than depressed women (63 versus 40%; P < 0.05); non-significant trends suggested that depressed women are more worried (39 versus 22%) and more restless (50 versus 31%), and depressed men more likely to be 'not very happy' or 'not happy at all' (53 versus 36%). There were no significant differences between older (age > 74 years) and younger subjects. Several other Short-CARE items, predominantly addressing subjective memory and disability, also distinguished significantly between the depressed and non-depressed groups. Logistic regression analysis identified eight items of the DPDS contributing significantly to the predictive ability of the total scale. In the second study, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) and the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS; 3) were administered to primary-care attenders aged > 64 years, and those with significant depressive symptoms were matched by age and sex to a depression-free control group. Depressed subjects had higher scores on both the TAS (Mann-Whitney U-test z = -4.71, P < 0.0001) and on the DAS (z = -2.49, P < 0.02).

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1996

Psychosocial stress and anxiety in senile dementia.

Seventy dementia patients in hospital and two control groups comprising 50 dementia sufferers in the community and 50 mentally fit elderly people, were investigated to determine which social factors such as life events were associated with the presence of anxiety symptoms. Very high levels of social contact, problems in the patient-carer relationship and high physical dependency were all associated with anxiety in the dementia sufferers. Independent severe threat life events were associated with anxiety in the dementia patient group. Multivariate analyses suggested that this link was mediated by depressive symptoms. The results suggest a number of social factors may lead to anxiety in dementia sufferers. This has implications for understanding how social factors relate to psychopathology in dementia. Clinicians should be more aware of anxiety in dementia and consider how social interventions may help reduce and alleviate distress.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

Insight, psychosis and ethnicity: a case-note study.

Recent literature on insight has paid little attention to patients' social backgrounds and cultures. Discharge summaries from 357 patients with a psychotic illness were examined to investigate factors associated with insight. A highly significant association was found between British white ethnic origin and being thought by the admitting psychiatrist to have some insight. Possible explanations include: different ways of understanding mental illness in different cultures, greater stigma leading to greater denial of illness in some cultures, greater illness severity at admission in some ethnic groups and racial bias in psychiatrists' ratings.

Adolescent↗