OBJECTIVE: This study describes the socio-demographic and clinical profile of persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in home care, nursing homes and complex continuing care settings in several Canadian jurisdictions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using available Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI 2.0 and RAI Home Care) national databases from 1996- 2011. The profile of ALS patients was compared with patients without pre-specified neurological conditions. RESULTS: There were 2,092 ALS patients identified in these settings. Persons with ALS were more likely than those in the comparison group to suffer from health instability (25.4%) and minor to major depressive symptoms (27.2%) , to experience falls (44.0%) and weight loss (22.9%), to require extensive assistance in activities of daily living (54.9%), and to receive rehabilitation services: physical (23.9%), speech language pathology (8.9%), and occupational therapy 43.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The ALS population in this study are greatly affected by a number of health issues. They are more likely than the comparison group to require therapies, medical interventions, and psychotropic drug use. While persons with ALS have a poor prognosis, a great deal could be done to enhance their quality of life and the quality of care they receive.
OBJECTIVE: This study describes the socio-demographic and clinical profile of persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in home care, nursing homes and complex continuing care settings in several Canadian jurisdictions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using available Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI 2.0 and RAI Home Care) national databases from 1996- 2011. The profile of ALSpatients was compared with patients without pre-specified neurological conditions. RESULTS: There were 2,092 ALSpatients identified in these settings. Persons with ALS were more likely than those in the comparison group to suffer from health instability (25.4%) and minor to major depressive symptoms (27.2%) , to experience falls (44.0%) and weight loss (22.9%), to require extensive assistance in activities of daily living (54.9%), and to receive rehabilitation services: physical (23.9%), speech language pathology (8.9%), and occupational therapy 43.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The ALS population in this study are greatly affected by a number of health issues. They are more likely than the comparison group to require therapies, medical interventions, and psychotropic drug use. While persons with ALS have a poor prognosis, a great deal could be done to enhance their quality of life and the quality of care they receive.
Authors: Gabriel S Walt; Hannah M Burris; Christopher B Brady; Keith R Spencer; Victor E Alvarez; Bertrand R Huber; Latease Guilderson; Nazifa Abdul Rauf; Derek Collins; Tarnjit Singh; Rebecca Mathias; James G Averill; Sean E Walker; Ian Robey; Ann C McKee; Neil W Kowall; Thor D Stein Journal: J Neuropathol Exp Neurol Date: 2018-12-01 Impact factor: 3.685
Authors: Thomas J Oxley; Peter E Yoo; Nicholas L Opie; Gil S Rind; Stephen M Ronayne; C M Sarah Lee; Christin Bird; Victoria Hampshire; Rahul P Sharma; Andrew Morokoff; Daryl L Williams; Christopher MacIsaac; Mark E Howard; Lou Irving; Ivan Vrljic; Cameron Williams; Sam E John; Frank Weissenborn; Madeleine Dazenko; Anna H Balabanski; David Friedenberg; Anthony N Burkitt; Yan T Wong; Katharine J Drummond; Patricia Desmond; Douglas Weber; Timothy Denison; Leigh R Hochberg; Susan Mathers; Terence J O'Brien; Clive N May; J Mocco; David B Grayden; Bruce C V Campbell; Peter Mitchell Journal: J Neurointerv Surg Date: 2020-10-28 Impact factor: 5.836