Affiliation:
1. School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54634 Thessaloniki, Greece
2. Department of Psychology, University of Western Macedonia, 53100 Florina, Greece
Abstract
Nowadays, controversy exists regarding the influence of comorbid depression on cognition in old age. Additionally, we still know little about the influence of depression in mixed dementia (MD), that is, in cases where there is the co-existence of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia (VaD). Given that the assessment of financial capacity is pivotal for independent living as well as in the prevention of financial exploitation and abuse in old age, in this pilot study, we aimed to examine whether comorbid depression in MD patients can influence financial capacity performance. A total of 115 participants were recruited. They were divided into four groups: MD patients with and without depressive symptoms and healthy elderly without depression as well as older adults suffering from depression. Participants were examined with a number of neuropsychological tests, including the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and Legal Capacity for Property Law Transactions Assessment Scale (LCPLTAS). The results of this study suggested that financial capacity as measured with LCPLTAS in MD patients was severely impaired when depression co-existed compared to patients suffering only from depression and healthy controls. Deficits in financial capacity in MD and comorbid depression should be a point on which healthcare professionals should focus during neuropsychological assessment in order to prevent financial exploitation.
Subject
Health Information Management,Health Informatics,Health Policy,Leadership and Management
Cited by
1 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献