Social correlates of the severity of cognitive impairment at time of diagnosis of dementia

Gail K. Auslander*, Howard Litwin, Jeremia Heinik

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study considered the effect of background and social network factors on the timing of initial diagnosis of cognitive impairment among elderly patients suspected of having dementia. One hundred first-time patients at a psychogeriatric clinic in Israel and their primary caregivers were interviewed. Severity of cognitive impairment was measured by MMSE scores. Multiple regression analysis revealed that background and perceived need factors accounted for 28% of the explained variance. However, the size of the caregiver's primary network and the percentage of that network composed of secondary ties accounted for an additional 10%. Thus, timely diagnosis was facilitated by caregivers' having a social network that balanced weak and strong ties.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)269-285
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Mental Health and Aging
Volume10
Issue number4
StatePublished - Dec 2004

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