Clinical Interventions in Aging (Oct 2020)
Activities of Daily Living and Associated Costs in the Most Widespread Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Petra Maresova,1 Jan Hruska,1 Blanka Klimova,2 Sabina Barakovic,3 Ondrej Krejcar4 1Department of Economics, Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove 500 03, Czech Republic; 2Department of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove 500 03, Czech Republic; 3Faculty of Transport and Communications, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 4Center for Basic and Applied Science, Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove 500 03, Czech RepublicCorrespondence: Ondrej KrejcarCenter for Basic and Applied Science, Faculty of Informatics and Management, University of Hradec Kralove, Rokitanskeho 62/26, Hradec Kralove 500 03, Czech RepublicTel +420 777484280Email [email protected]: Nowadays, the population is rapidly ageing because of increasing life expectancy and decreasing birth rates. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review is to prepare a comprehensive overview which identifies the activities of daily living (ADLs) that are gradually reduced among patients with dementia, as well as explore the therapies applied in relation to dementia and how they effectively improve the quality of life (QoL) of patients and caregivers. Furthermore, we aim to summarise the ADL activities influenced by therapies and examine the treatment costs and care for patients so that recommendations for research and development (R&D) can be made to improve both the QoL of people with dementia and cost-saving measures. The research focuses on four selected neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer, Parkinson, vascular dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Therefore, the peer-reviewed English written articles from 2014 to 2019 were searched between September 1 and December 13, 2019. Twenty-seven papers were included in the analysis. The results show that essential assistance occurs in connection with activities: eating, drinking, dressing, bathing, personal hygiene, use of the toilet, and transport. By contrast, shopping or cleaning is not addressed as much. A lower ability to take care of oneself is connected with poor patient health and higher social care costs because the patient requires care from external sources, such as home aid or nurse visits. The challenge that remains is to shift new knowledge from scientific disciplines and connect it with the needs of patients to remove legitimate barriers and increase the acceptance of new solutions by popularisation. Additionally, regarding the burden on caregivers, it would be appropriate to promote this area of education and employment so that family members can use formal caregivers, ensuring them free time and much-needed rest.Keywords: costs, neurodegenerative diseases, quality of life, activities of daily living
