According to a study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, prior experience in an adult day setting may lessen the association of nursing home placement with the cognitive decline shown by Alzheimer's patients after such placement. Research conducted by the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago offers encouragement for those hoping to slow just such a decline in cognitive function.
The study tracked the cognitive function of 432 elders with Alzheimer's disease recruited from assorted health care settings in the Chicago area. At the beginning of the study all subjects lived in the community and 196 were taking advantage of adult day care services. Participation in adult day care ranged from 2 - 6 days per week with the overall mean averaging 1.7 days per week.
Cognitive function tests were completed at six month intervals over a period of 4 years and while cognitive function declined for all study participants, the 155 adults who were moved out of the community setting and into a nursing home showed the most rapid decline. More hopeful information came to light when statistics pointed out that those adults that had prior adult day care experience showed cognitive decline at a slower rate than those who did not have that exposure. The data also showed that the greater the participation level in adult day care the slower the cognitive decline.
It is known that people with Alzheimer's disease experience confusion and cognitive difficulty when transitioning to unfamiliar settings. However, "The findings suggest that experience in day care may help individuals with Alzheimer's disease make the transition from the community to institutional residence," said study author Robert S. Wilson, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center.
Read more: Nursing Home Placement Associated with Accelerated Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease
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