Study: Pain Frequently Under-Detected, Poorly Managed in Dementia Residents

A new study in the journal BMC Geriatrics found that pain in people with dementia is under-detected and poorly managed in both acute in long-term care.

The researchers determined that this could be related to limited evidence showing the reliability, validity and clinical utility of pain assessment tools for use with the elderly.

While self-reporting is considered to be the gold standard for reporting pain, this option is frequently not feasible for residents with later-stage dementia.

The researchers examined 28 pain assessment tools that could possibly help with this issue, but ultimately determined they could not specifically recommend any of them due to a lack of comprehensive evidence on their reliability, validity, feasibility or clinical utility.

To learn more, click here.

Cynical People More Likely to Die Young, Develop Dementia

European researchers have found that cynical people tend to die younger and are nearly three times more likely to develop dementia. The researchers specifically examined cynicism that involves doubting the truthfulness of what people say and believing that most people are motivated by self-interest rather than the greater good.

The researchers concluded that higher cynical distrust in late life was associated with higher mortality, but they added that this cynicism could be explained by socioeconomic position, lifestyle and health status. The presence of confounding factors supports the link between cynical distrust and dementia.

To learn more, click here.

Diabetics Develop Dementia Sooner than Non-Diabetics

Australian researchers have determined that people with diabetes are at risk of developing dementia earlier and dying sooner from its complications.

According to the researchers, diabetics develop dementia an average of 2.2 years earlier than non-diabetics. While diabetes is a risk factor for dementia, little is known about the association between the two conditions.

Individuals with diabetes and dementia died an average of 2.6 years earlier than non-diabetics, according to the study. People with a long history of diabetes who were diagnosed with dementia before turning 65 died almost twice as fast.

The study also noted that as people got older, the impacts of having both diabetes and dementia became less pronounced.

To learn more, click here.