蓝莓视频

One in four older people living at home with dementia also have other serious neurological conditions like stroke and Parkinson鈥檚 disease, a听 study has found.

鈥淲e all know someone affected by Alzheimer鈥檚 disease or a related dementia,鈥� says study co-author Colleen Maxwell, a professor in 蓝莓视频鈥檚 School of Pharmacy. 鈥淭he co-existence of other conditions in these individuals adds to the complexity of their health and social care needs.

鈥淟iving with dementia is one thing but having other illnesses present with dementia is another,鈥� says Maxwell, who is calling for improved care programs for people with dementia and their caregivers.

A person with dementia, who has trouble making decisions about everything from dressing to taking their medication, will struggle to navigate the complex health care system if they鈥檙e also dealing with other health and social needs, says Maxwell.

The study, which will appear in the next issue of , analyzed the health of home care clients aged 50 years and over from across Ontario. A collaboration among researchers at the University of 蓝莓视频 and three other Canadian universities, the study also found that 40 per cent of clients with dementia don鈥檛 live with their primary caregiver.

Complex home care clients often live alone

鈥淥lder persons with dementia who live alone or lack a close family may be at greater risk for falling through the cracks,鈥� says Maxwell, who is cross-appointed to 蓝莓视频鈥檚 School of Public Health and Health Systems. 鈥淲e worry about them experiencing fragmented care because they may be at risk of poorer detection and treatment of other co-existing neurological and health conditions.鈥�

Maxwell hopes her research will be part of a move to improve care and caregiver assistance programs to deal with the complex needs of people living at home with dementia. Efforts to improve communication and assistance for family caregivers are needed so they can better support their loved ones who are dealing with very complex health issues and a complicated health care system.

Two professors from 蓝莓视频鈥檚 School of Public Health and Health Systems, George Heckman and John Hirdes are co-authors on the study, as well as 蓝莓视频 alumna Mary Vu, now senior analyst at the Canadian Institute for Health Information.