Erik Eriksen is a remarkable individual. He has no college degrees yet is Professor of Human Development at Harvard University. He came to psychology via art, which explains why the reader will find him painting contexts and backgrounds rather than stating dull facts and concepts. He has been a training psychoanalyst for many years as well as a perceptive observer of cultural and social settings and their effect on growing up. This is not just a book on childhood. It is a panorama of our society. Anxiety in young children, apathy in American Indians, confusion in veterans of war, and arrogance in young Nazis are scrutinized under the psychoanalytic magnifying glass. The material is well written and devoid of technical jargon. The theme of the volume is that it is human to have a long childhood which will leave a lifelong residue of emotional immaturity in man. Primitive groups and

Childhood and Society.

Article abstract—Objective: To update the 1994 practice parameter for the diagnosis of dementia in the elderly. Background: The AAN previously published a practice parameter on dementia in 1994. New research and clinical developments warrant an update of some aspects of diagnosis. Methods: Studies published in English from 1985 through 1999 were identified that addressed four questions: 1) Are the current criteria for the diagnosis of dementia reliable? 2) Are the current diagnostic criteria able to establish a diagnosis for the prevalent dementias in the elderly? 3) Do laboratory tests improve the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis of dementing illness? 4) What comorbidities should be evaluated in elderly patients undergoing an initial assessment for dementia? Recommendations: Based on evidence in the literature, the following recommendations are made. 1) The DSM-III-R definition of dementia is reliable and should be used (Guideline). 2) The National Institute of Neurologic, Communicative Disorders and Stroke‐AD and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA) or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 3rd edition, revised (DSM-IIIR) diagnostic criteria for AD and clinical criteria for Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (CJD) have sufficient reliability and validity and should be used (Guideline). Diagnostic criteria for vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia may be of use in clinical practice (Option) but have imperfect reliability and validity. 3) Structural neuroimaging with either a noncontrast CT or MR scan in the initial evaluation of patients with dementia is appropriate. Because of insufficient data on validity, no other imaging procedure is recommended (Guideline). There are currently no genetic markers recommended for routine diagnostic purposes (Guideline). The CSF 14-3-3 protein is useful for confirming or rejecting the diagnosis of CJD (Guideline). 4) Screening for depression, B12 deficiency, and hypothyroidism should be performed (Guideline). Screening for syphilis in patients with dementia is not justified unless clinical suspicion for neurosyphilis is present (Guideline). Conclusions: Diagnostic criteria for dementia have improved since the 1994 practice parameter. Further research is needed to improve clinical definitions of dementia and its subtypes, as well as to determine the utility of various instruments of neuroimaging, biomarkers, and genetic testing in increasing diagnostic accuracy.

https://n.neurology.org/content/neurology/56/9/1143.full.pdf

Practice parameter: Diagnosis of dementia (an evidence-based review) Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology

Meta-analysis is used to synthesize findings from 286 empirical studies on the association of socioeconomic status (SES), social network, and competence with subjective well-being (SWB) in the elderly. All three aspects of life circumstances are positively associated with SWB. Income is correlated more strongly with well-being than is education. The quality of social contacts shows stronger associations with SWB than does the quantity of social contacts. Whereas having contact with friends is more strongly related to SWB than having contact with adult children, there are higher associations between life satisfaction and quality of contact with adult children when compared with quality of friendships. Moderating influences of gender and age on the effects of SES, social network, and competence on SWB are also investigated.

Influences of socioeconomic status, social network, and competence on subjective well-being in later life : A meta-analysis

Objective:This report surveys and evaluates the scientific research on evidence-based healthcare design and extracts its implications for designing better and safer hospitals.Background:It builds o...

/pdf/a-review-of-the-research-literature-on-evidence-based-2oeftve5sd.pdf

A Review of the Research Literature on Evidence-Based Healthcare Design

Using the methodology of Walker and Avant, the purpose of this paper was to identify the most frequently used theoretical and operational definitions of social support. A positive relationship between social support and health is generally accepted in the literature. However, the set of dimensions used to define social support is inconsistent. In addition, few measurement tools have established reliability and validity. Findings from this conceptual analysis suggested four of the most frequently used defining attributes of social support: emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal. Social network, social embeddedness, and social climate were identified as antecedents of social support. Social support consequences were subsumed under the general rubric of positive health states. Examples were personal competence, health maintenance behaviours, effective coping behaviours, perceived control, sense of stability, recognition of self-worth, positive affect, psychological well-being, and decreased anxiety and depression. Recommendations for future research were made.

Social support: a conceptual analysis

Thedisruptive behavior ofpersonswithdementia isa problem ofconsiderable clinical interest andgrowing scientific concern.This paperoffers a viewofthese behaviors asexpres- sions ofunmetneeds orgoals andprovides a comprehensive conceptual framework toguide further research andclinical practice. Empiricalfindings andclinical impressions related to wandering, vocalizations andaggression tosupport andillus- tratetheframework arepresented. Introduction Disruptive behaviors displayed bydemented elderly often result innursing homeplacement' andchallenge theskills of even thebest-trained nursing personnel. Despite increasing attention fromresearchers tobehaviors suchas wandering, vocalizations andaggression, efforts toexplain these phenom-

/pdf/need-driven-dementia-compromised-behavior-an-alternative-36yv0henid.pdf

Need-driven dementia-compromised behavior: An alternative view of disruptive behavior

The telephone interview.

1. Nursing Knowledge Development: Relevance to Science and Professional Practice. 2. The Structure of Nursing Knowledge: Analysis and Evaluation of Practice, Middle Range, and Grand Theory. 3. Florence Nightingale: Pioneer in Nursing Knowledge Development. 4. Peplau's Theory of Interpersonal Relations. 5. Henderson's Conceptualization of Nursing. 6. Johnson's Behavioral System Model. 7. Orem's Model of Self-Care. 8. Roy's Adaptation Model. 9. Leininger's Culture Care Theory. 10. Neuman's Systems Model. 11. King's Conceptual System and Theory of Goal Attainment. 12. Martha Rogers' Model: Science of Unitary Beings. 13. Newman's Theory of Health. 14. Watson's Model of Caring. 15. Fitzpatrick's Life Perspective Rhythm Model. Index.

Conceptual models of nursing: Analysis and application

Agitated aggressive behavior in late stage dementia occurs in 30 to 50 percent of patients. This behavior often results in the use of chemical and physical restraints (which have a high degree of untoward side effects) and caregiver burnout. Interventions for agitated aggressive behavior are needed that do not have these side effects, which are readily available in nursing homes and are effective and acceptable to caregivers. Environmental psychologists have proposed that natural elements within the environment decrease agitation in the nondemented as well as the demented Since the shower bath is often a time of great agitation in dementia patients, natural elements were used to modify care during the shower bath (n = 31). There was a significant decrease in mean difference scores from baseline to treatments one and two, with the treatment group demonstrating an overall decline in agitated aggressive behavior Additional randomized trials of the effects of natural environments upon agitation and aggression...

/pdf/the-effect-of-natural-environments-upon-agitation-and-3obqhbf9ei.pdf

Ann L. Whall

Papers

Need-driven dementia-compromised behavior: An alternative view of disruptive behavior

The telephone interview.

Conceptual models of nursing: Analysis and application

The effect of natural environments upon agitation and aggression in late stage dementia patients

Suicide in older adults.