Background: Few studies have explored the associations of agitation symptoms among older adults with core network size and with frequency of contact with core network care providers. The present study aimed to investigate the associations of agitation and affect among older adult people with dementia (PWD) with core network size and frequency of contact with core network care providers. Methods: A convenience sample of 98 Omani older adult PWD residing in their homes was recruited. Most of the participants (63.3%) were female, and the mean age of the participants was 80 years (standard deviation = 9.0). A total of 77 participants suffered from severe dementia, while the remaining 21 had mild to moderate dementia levels. Valid and reliable instruments completed by either the participating PWD or their caregivers were used to measure the study variables. Results: The main hypothesis of the study was not supported, whereby core network size and frequency of contact with the core network were not found to be significantly associated with activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL) core networks or agitation and affect. Further, the findings indicated no significant associations between core network size or closeness between PWD and their IADL and ADL caregivers and the amount of ADL and IADL care provided. The level of care provided by the caregivers and the participants’ frequency of contact with the core network remained consistent throughout the progress of the dementia patients’ conditions. Discussion/Conclusion: The findings of this study are incongruent with the findings of studies conducted in Western countries, which have reported that older adults prefer to have meaningful interactions with small, close social networks as opposed to large networks. Our findings may be explained by the strong cultural values in Oman which place great emphasis on caring for elderly family members. It is essential to understand these relationships in order to develop effective home care interventions for older adult PWD in Oman.
Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord

中文翻译：

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老年痴呆症患者核心网络大小与激动和积极情绪接触频率的关系

背景：很少有研究探讨老年人的躁动症状与核心网络规模和与核心网络护理提供者联系频率的关系。本研究旨在调查老年痴呆症 (PWD) 患者的躁动和影响与核心网络规模和与核心网络护理提供者联系的频率之间的关系。方法：招募了居住在他们家中的 98 名阿曼老年人 PWD 的便利样本。大多数参与者（63.3%）为女性，参与者的平均年龄为 80 岁（标准差 = 9.0）。共有 77 名参与者患有严重的痴呆症，而其余 21 人则患有轻度至中度痴呆症。由参与的 PWD 或其护理人员完成的有效和可靠的仪器被用来测量研究变量。结果：该研究的主要假设没有得到支持，即核心网络的大小和与核心网络的接触频率与日常生活活动 (ADL) 和工具性 ADL (IADL) 核心网络或激动和影响没有显着相关性。此外，研究结果表明核心网络规模或 PWD 与其 IADL 和 ADL 护理人员之间的密切程度与提供的 ADL 和 IADL 护理量之间没有显着关联。在痴呆症患者病情的发展过程中，护理人员提供的护理水平和参与者与核心网络的联系频率保持一致。讨论/结论：这项研究的结果与西方国家的研究结果不一致，后者报告说老年人更喜欢与小型、紧密的社交网络进行有意义的互动，而不是大型网络。我们的发现可以用阿曼强烈的文化价值观来解释，这些价值观非常重视照顾老年家庭成员。了解这些关系对于为阿曼的老年 PWD 制定有效的家庭护理干预措施至关重要。
痴呆老年认知障碍