Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-20T14:32:05.615Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Characterizing the symptom of misplacing objects in people with dementia: findings from an online tracking tool

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2019

Lisa McGarrigle ,
Susan E. Howlett ,
Helen Wong ,
Justin Stanley  and
Kenneth Rockwood Open the ORCID record for Kenneth Rockwood [Opens in a new window]
Lisa McGarrigle
Affiliation:
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada DGI Clinical Inc., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Susan E. Howlett
Affiliation:
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada DGI Clinical Inc., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Helen Wong
Affiliation:
DGI Clinical Inc., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Justin Stanley
Affiliation:
DGI Clinical Inc., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Kenneth Rockwood*
Affiliation:
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada DGI Clinical Inc., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Kenneth Rockwood, Centre for Health Care of the Elderly, Nova Scotia Health Authority, 1421-5955 Veterans’ Memorial Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2E9, Canada. Phone: (902) 473-8687; Fax: (902) 473-1050. Email: Kenneth. [email protected].
Get access

Abstract

Objectives:

Misplacing objects is often reported as a clinically important symptom in dementia. Here we explored misplacing objects in relation to dementia type and stage in an online sample of individuals with dementia and their caregivers.

Methods:

Participants were recruited from www.dementiaguide.com, a web-based tracker for common dementia symptoms. Users provided information about symptoms that they selected as important for monitoring. We analysed cross-sectional data from respondents who tracked at least three symptoms, which allowed for staging dementia severity.

Results:

Of 2,775 users with three-plus symptoms, 787 (28%) identified misplacing objects for symptom tracking. Misplacing objects was monitored by users across all stages of dementia, but was more prevalent in mild and severe dementia. Three common clinical subtypes of misplacing were investigated: lost & found (forgetting the location of items), hidden away (hiding items so others would not find them), and odd places (putting items in usual spots). Of the 787, 96% targeted lost & found, the most frequent type. Odd places (targeted in 56%) significantly increased with dementia severity (p < 0.001). Misplacing objects was most strongly associated with the symptoms of interaction with strangers (OR 4.60, 95% CI: 3.20-6.62), reading (3.68: 2.86-4.73), shopping (3.55: 2.73-4.61) and travel/vacationing (3.31: 2.54-4.31).

Conclusions:

Misplacing objects was most often selected for tracking in mild and severe stages of dementia. As disease advances, misplacing more often reflects odd placement of objects rather than their simple loss. Misplacing objects may be a clinically important therapeutic target for improving patients’ quality of life and lessening caregiver burden.

Keywords

Alzheimer diseasedementiamisplacing objectsInternetcaregiver
Type
Original Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 31 , Issue 11: Issue Theme: Psychiatric Morbidity in Exceptionally Old People , November 2019 , pp. 1635 - 1641
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alzheimer’s Association (2015). 2015 Alzheimer’s disease facts and figures. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 11, 332–384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boudet, B. et al. (2014). Quels sont les objets égarés à domicile par les personnes âgées fragiles? Une étude pilote sur 60 personnes. NPG Neurologie-Psychiatrie-Gériatrie, 14, 38–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boxer, A. L. et al. (2003). Cinguloparietal atrophy distinguishes Alzheimer disease from semantic dementia. Archives of Neurology, 60, 949–956.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burgess, P. W. et al. (2006). The case for the development and use of ‘ecologically valid’ measures of executive function in experimental and clinical neuropsychology. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society: JINS, 12, 194–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dillon, W. A., Prorok, J. C. and Seitz, D. P. (2013). Content and quality of information provided on Canadian dementia websites. Canadian Geriatrics Journal, 16, 6–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Faucounaua, V., Wu, Y. H., Boulay, M., Maestrutti, M. and Rigaud, A. S. (2009). Caregivers’ requirements for in-home robotic agent for supporting community-living elderly subjects with cognitive impairment. Technology & Health Care, 17, 33–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fox, S. and Duggan, M. (2013). Tracking for health. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. [Online]. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/01/28/tracking-for-health/; accessed 22 March 2018.Google Scholar
Garand, L., Dew, M. A., Urda, B., Lingler, J. H., DeKosky, S. T. and Reynolds, C. F. (2007). Marital quality in the context of mild cognitive impairment. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 29, 976–992.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gell, N. M., Rosenberg, D. E., Demiris, G., LaCroix, A. Z. and Patel, K. V. (2015). Patterns of technology use among older adults with and without disabilities. The Gerontologist, 55, 412–421.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamilton, L., Fay, S. and Rockwood, K. (2009). Misplacing objects in mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease: a descriptive analysis from the VISTA clinical trial. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 80, 960–965.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hindle, J. V. et al. (2018). Goal-orientated cognitive rehabilitation for dementias associated with Parkinson’s disease—A pilot randomised controlled trial. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 33, 718–728.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jennings, L. A. et al. (2017). Patient and caregiver goals for dementia care. Quality of Life Research, 26, 685–693.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Khan, F., Pallant, J. F. and Turner-Stokes, L. (2008). Use of goal attainment scaling in inpatient rehabilitation for persons with multiple sclerosis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 89, 652–659.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kiresuk, T. J. and Sherman, R. E. (1968). Goal attainment scaling: a general method for evaluating comprehensive community mental health programs. Community Mental Health Journal, 4, 443–453.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kurz, A. F., Leucht, S. and Lautenschlager, N. T. (2011). The clinical significance of cognition-focused interventions for cognitively impaired older adults: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. International Pscyhogeriatrics, 23, 1364–1375.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lauriks, S. et al. (2007). Review of ICT-based services for identified unmet needs in people with dementia. Ageing Research Reviews, 6, 223–246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leroi, I., Atkinson, R. and Overshott, R. (2014). Memantine improves goal attainment and reduces caregiver burden in Parkinson’s disease with dementia. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 29, 899–905.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lopes, P. et al. (2016). Co-conception process of an innovative assistive device to track and find misplaced everyday objects for older adults with cognitive impairment: the TROUVE project. Innovation and Research in BioMedical Engineering (IRBM), 37, 52–57.Google Scholar
Lu, Y. F. Y. and Haase, J. E. (2009). Experience and perspectives of caregivers of spouse with mild cognitive impairment. Current Alzheimer Research, 6, 384–391.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Possin, K. L. et al. (2013). Dissociable executive functions in behavioral variant frontotemporal and Alzheimer dementias. Neurology, 80, 2180–2185.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reeve, E., Molin, P., Hui, A. and Rockwood, K. (2017). Exploration of verbal repetition in people with dementia using an online symptom-tracking tool. International Psychogeriatrics, 29, 959–966.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rockwood, K. (2010). An individualized approach to tracking and treating Alzheimer’s disease. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 88, 446–449.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rockwood, K., Graham, J. E. and Fay, S. (2002). Goal setting and attainment in Alzheimer’s disease patients treated with donepezil. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 73, 500–507.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rockwood, K., Mitnitski, A., Richard, M., Kurth, M., Kesslak, P. and Abushakra, S. (2015). Neuropsychiatric symptom clusters targeted for treatment at earlier versus later stages of dementia. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 30, 357–367.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rockwood, K., Richard, M., Leibman, C., Mucha, L. and Mitnitski, A. (2013). Staging dementia from symptom profiles on a care partner website. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 15, e145.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rockwood, K., Zeng, A., Leibman, C., Mucha, L. and Mitnitski, A. (2012). Validation of an informant-reported web-based data collection to assess dementia symptoms. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 14, e42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

McGarrigle et al. Supplementary Materials

Appendix 3

Download McGarrigle et al. Supplementary Materials(File)
File 14.8 KB
Supplementary material: File

McGarrigle et al. Supplementary Materials

Appendix 1

Download McGarrigle et al. Supplementary Materials(File)
File 14.7 KB
Supplementary material: File

McGarrigle et al. Supplementary Materials

Appendix 2

Download McGarrigle et al. Supplementary Materials(File)
File 15.7 KB