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P2‐493: THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION HELPLINE: PRELIMINARY EFFECTS ON FAMILY CAREGIVERS
Author(s) -
Hodgson Nancy A.,
Petrovsky Darina,
Kallmyer Beth,
Pike JoAnne,
Fazio Sam
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2019.06.2900
Subject(s) - helpline , distress , dementia , anxiety , medicine , association (psychology) , psychology , referral , clinical psychology , psychiatry , family medicine , disease , emergency medicine , psychotherapist , pathology
is ideal for PwD, requiring caregivers and communities to develop an understanding of AD and the illness trajectory. The purpose of this study was to assess dementia knowledge in older adults living in rural Idaho, USA. Methods: This exploratory study was conducted in a region of rural Idaho, USA served by the Area Agency on Aging. Participants were English-speaking persons 65 who received meals from their local senior center. Participants completed a short demographic questionnaire and responded to the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS), a 25-item scale with five response choices (true, partially true, false, partially false, I don’t know) for a total score of 50 possible points. Four subscales helped identify areas of specific knowledge. The DKAS has been used in large-scale studies as well as in multiple languages with strong psychometric properties. Results: 370 surveys, persons 65, were returned (41% response rate); with 70% of those (n1⁄4259) for whom a total score could be calculated. Age m1⁄476.2 (SD1⁄47.52), most were female (62.9%), single/widowed (56.7%), with similar response rates between congregate and home-delivered meals (53.7% vs 46.3%). The total score (TS) ranged from 0-49 (m1⁄419.79, SD1⁄49.55). Subtle negative relationships were found between age and TS, education and TS, income and TS. Two subscale scores were slightly lower as described in previous studies. Conclusions: In previous work measuring dementia knowledge in the general population Annear and colleagues (2017) reported a TS m 1⁄4 32.52 (SD1⁄49.05) with lower scores in both Subscales B and D. The significantly lower m TS in this sample suggests an important knowledge deficit that could benefit from educational intervention. In light of the lack of knowledge about dementia an opportunity exists for moving education about dementia and its sequelae, as well as interventions, upstream where caregivers can most benefit. This could possibly ease the journey for PwD and their caregivers living in rural communities, allowing them to more successfully age-in-place.