Browsing by Author "Hill, Nikki"

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    Anticholinergic Exposure During Rehabilitation: Cognitive and Physical Function Outcomes in Patients with Delirium Superimposed on Dementia
    (Elsevier, 2015-12) Kolanowski, Ann; Mogle, Jacqueline; Fick, Donna M.; Campbell, Noll; Hill, Nikki; Mulhall, Paula; Behrens, Liza; Colancecco, Elise; Boustani, Malaz; Clare, Linda; Department of Medicine, IU School of Medicine
    OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between anticholinergic medication exposure and subsequent cognitive and physical function in patients with delirium superimposed on dementia during rehabilitation. We also examined length of stay and discharge disposition by anticholinergic medication exposure. DESIGN: In this secondary analysis we used control group data from an ongoing randomized clinical trial. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Participants with delirium and dementia were enrolled at admission to post-acute care. These 99 participants had a mean age of 86.11 (±6.83) years; 67.6% were women; 98% were Caucasian; and 33% were positive for at least one APOE e4 allele. MEASURES: We obtained daily measures of cognitive and physical function using: Digit Span; memory, orientation and attention items from the Montreal Cognitive Assessment; CLOX; the Confusion Assessment Method; and the Barthel Index. Anticholinergic medication exposure was measured weekly using the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale. RESULTS: Using multilevel models for time we found that greater use of clinically relevant anticholinergic medications in the previous week reduced cognitive and physical function, as measured by Digit Span Backwards and the Barthel index, in the current week. There was no effect of anticholinergic medication use on delirium severity, and APOE status did not moderate any outcomes. Greater use of clinically relevant anticholinergic medications was related to longer length of stay but not discharge disposition. CONCLUSIONS: For vulnerable older adults, anticholinergic exposure represents a potentially modifiable risk factor for poor attention, working memory, physical function, and greater length of stay during rehabilitation.
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    Effect of Cognitively-Stimulating Activities for the Symptom Management of Delirium Superimposed on Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
    (Wiley, 2016-12) Kolanowski, Ann; Fick, Donna; Litaker, Mark; Mulhall, Paula; Clare, Linda; Hill, Nikki; Mogle, Jacqueline; Boustani, Malaz; Gill, David; Yevchak-Sillner, Andrea; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background Delirium is common in post-acute care (PAC) patients with dementia; its treatment is not established. We hypothesized that cognitively-stimulating activities would reduce the duration and severity of delirium and improve cognitive and physical function to a greater extent than usual care. Design Single-blind randomized clinical trial. Setting eight PAC facilities. Participants 283 community-dwelling older adults with dementia and delirium. Intervention Cognitively-stimulating activities delivered daily for up to 30 days. Measurements Primary outcomes were delirium duration (Confusion Assessment Method), and delirium severity (Delirium Rating Scale). Secondary outcomes were cognitive function (Digits Forward, Montreal Cognitive Assessment and CLOX) and physical function (Barthel Index). Results Mean percentage of delirium-free days were similar in both groups: 64.8% (95% CI: 59.6–70.1) (intervention) vs. 68.7% (95% CI: 63.9–73.6) (control), p = 0.37, Wilcoxon's rank sums test. Delirium severity was similar in both groups: 10.77 (95% CI: 10.10–11.45) (intervention) vs. 11.15 (95% CI: 10.50–11.80) (control), a difference of 0.37 (95% CI: 0.56–1.31, p= 0.43). Significant differences for secondary outcomes favoring intervention were found: executive function: 6.58 (95% CI: 6.12–7.04) vs. 5.89 (95% CI: 5.45–6.33), a difference of −0.69 (95% CI: 1.33– −0.06, p=0.03); and constructional praxis: 8.84 (95% CI: 8.83–9.34) vs. 7.53 (95% CI: 7.04–8.01), a difference of − 1.31 (95% CI: 2.01– −0.61, p=0.0003). After adjusting for baseline constructional praxis the group comparison was no longer significant. Average length of stay was shorter in intervention (36.09 days vs. 53.13 days, SE = 0.15, p = 0.01, negative binomial regression). Conclusion Cognitively-stimulating activities did not improve delirium but did improve executive function and reduced length of stay. Resolution of delirium may require more intense non-pharmacological management when the patient has dementia.
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    Factors That Influence The Emotional Impact Of Memory Problems In Older Adults: A Mixed-Methods Study
    (Oxford University Press, 2021) Bratlee-Whitaker, Emily; Hill, Nikki; Mogle, Jacqueline; Wion, Rachel; Madrigal, Caroline; Bhargava, Sakshi; School of Nursing
    Older adults’ experiences with memory problems may be an important indicator of current and future well-being; however, these experiences and their impacts are poorly characterized, particularly in those with co-occurring affective symptoms. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine how the experience of memory problems influences emotional well-being in older adults without dementia, and whether this differs based on cognitive status and current depressive symptoms or anxiety symptoms. A convergent parallel mixed methods design was used in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously, analyzed separately, and then integrated to determine how participants’ experiences differed. Community-dwelling older adults (n=49, Mage = 74.5, 63% female) without severe cognitive impairment completed study questionnaires and two individual, semi-structured interviews. Five themes were identified that described the influence of memory problems on emotional well-being: Evoking Emotions, Fearing Future, Undermining Self, Normalizing Problems, and Adjusting Thinking. The extent to which memory problems impacted emotional well-being depended on multiple factors including current affective symptoms (primarily anxiety), characteristics of the experience (such as judgments of its importance), as well as personal experience with dementia. Notably, there were no thematic differences in the emotional impact of memory problems between older adults with normal cognition and those with evidence of mild cognitive impairment. Our findings suggest that thorough assessment of reports of memory problems, regardless of cognitive testing outcomes, should consider co-occurring subsyndromal affective disorders as well as older adults’ evaluations of how memory problems influence their daily lives and well-being.