Research and Proposal

Analyzing Qualitative Research Papers

American InterContinental University

March 20, 2018

Analyzing Qualitative Research Papers

Prevalence and severity of cognitive impairment with and without dementia in an elderly population.

This study provides a detailed approximation of the prevalence of a condition known as "cognitive impairment, no dementia" (CIND) among the aging people. With the recognition that not all individuals with impaired cognition have dementia, the researchers in this study notes that most people who meet the current standards for dementia have not been studied.

The population and sample used in this study were appropriate. The population under investigation comprised of aging Canadians aged above 65 years. The data was collected from 36 cities and their environs in five Canadian regions. Sample sizes from each region comprised of 1800 individuals in the community and 250 people from institutions (Graham, Beattie, Rockwood, & Mcdowell, 1997). This data was a good representation of the community under investigation.

The results indicated that CIND had a prevalence of 16.8%, which is more than twice the percentage of all the other forms of dementia combined (8%) in Canada. The occurrence of all kinds of cognitive impairment, dementias included, tended to increase with age. People suffering from CIND were thrice more likely to be in institutions than those without the impairment. It was also discovered that there is a 5.3% chance of finding a patient with circumscribed memory in the Canadian elderly population (Graham, Beattie, Rockwood, & Mcdowell, 1997). CIND is frequently linked to functional disability, thus the need for institutional care. The results in this study can be used to make adequate plans on how to prepare to provide care for the country’s older population which is increasingly developing dementia-related complications.

Prevalence of Dementia in the United States: The Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study

In this study, the researchers sought to estimate incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in the United States. The subjects in the study comprised a sample that is representative of the whole nation’s aging population. The participants who were used as the memory study sample comprised 856 people aged 71 years and above. The data was obtained from the health and retirement study, which is a good representative of the national population. The sample was evaluated for dementia through a detailed in-home evaluation. The fact that the sample comprised a representation of the old people in the United States makes it an appropriate sample and population.

After analyzing the data, the researchers found out that about 3.4 million Americans (13.9%) aged 71 years and above were suffering from dementia in 2002. For Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the corresponding figure was 9.7% (2.4 million people aged 71 and above). They also observed that the prevalence of dementia increased as a person grows older (at a rate of 5% for those aged between 71-79 and 37.4% for those older than 90 years) (Plassman, et al., 2007).

The authors concluded that the estimates about dementia prevalence obtained from this population that represents nationwide data provides sufficient information for planning. Since the data was obtained from most parts of the country, it can be effectively used to strategize for impending healthcare for the increasing number of individuals with dementia. A key limitation of this study was the difficulty in comparing prevalence estimates across studies because of the variations in age brackets reported (Plassman, et al., 2007).

The borderland between normal aging and dementia

In this article, the theoretical evolution of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is studied as being the boundary between dementia and normal aging. The study then suggests that the socio-cultural setting as well as the built environment are key in formulating a dementia diagnosis. According to the article, dementia is more than a medical term. It is believed that cognitive impairment is a dynamic outcome of the way people interact with challenges that are cognitive in nature. The study does not seem to have a specific population to do analysis and draw conclusions, but rather uses information from past literature.

As a concept, MCI has been applied in attempts to identify people suffering from AD early enough. This attempt echoes the failure of numerous clinical trials for AD and the optimism that treatment will be effective if administered early enough. The researchers suggest several terms, MCI included, to connote the phase of switch between dementia and normal aging. In this research, the authors identified several sub-types of people with MCI, and that the patients observed in the community are different from those observed in the clinic. Dementia or MCI diagnosis depends on both the interactions between people and their environment, the sociocultural context, as well as cognitive tests. The study provides useful information for “studying cognitive decline in relation to pathological changes in aging and dementia” (Lo, 2017). One limitation identified by the researchers is the fact that there was a general lack of understanding of the dynamics regarding AD biomarker, thus making it hard to detect the condition early enough in old people.

Constructing Couples’ Stories: Narrative Practice Insights from a Dyadic Dementia Intervention

In this article, the authors investigate some of the challenges of carrying out therapy that is narrative based on aging couples suffering from memory loss. Dementia and memory loss can be very devastating both to caregivers and patients. Researchers in this article suggest that narrative therapeutic methods have promises and challenges for social interventions on couples where one of the partners is suffering from dementia (Scherrer, Ingersoll-Dayton, & Spencer, 2014). This research used a sample of 20 aging couples, making it not appropriate for generalizing and making conclusions. The stories given by these couples were used as case examples for the study. The researchers conclude that making use of narrative therapeutic methods are a good way of dealing with the issue of memory loss in which one spouse has the problem. The results can be used to plan healthcare intervention for aging couples where one partner is suffering from memory loss. One limitation of this study is its use of a very small sample.

Comparison of the results, conclusions, and applications among all 4 studies

The first two studies seek to investigate the prevalence of dementia among the American and Canadian aging population. Both researches found out that the prevalence of dementia tends to increase as people get older. The results from these studies can be used to make adequate plans on how to prepare to provide care for the country’s older population which is increasingly developing dementia-related complications. In the third study, the researchers find out that dementia or MCI diagnosis depends on both the interactions between people and their environment, the sociocultural context, as well as cognitive tests. The study provides useful information for “studying cognitive decline in relation to pathological changes in aging and dementia.” The fourth study conclude that making use narrative therapeutic methods are a good way of dealing with the issue of memory loss in which one spouse has the problem. Thus, this can be used as a therapy for the affected partner.

References Plassman, B. L., Langa, K. M., Fisher, G. G., Heeringa, S. G., Weir, D. R., Ofstedal, M. B., … Wallace, R. B. (2007). Prevalence of Dementia in the United States: The Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study. Neuroepidemiology, 29(1-2), 125–132. http://doi.org/10.1159/000109998. Graham, J. E., Beattie, B. L., Rockwood, K., & Mcdowell, I. (1997). Prevalence and severity of cognitive impairment with and without dementia in an elderly population. The Lancet. 349(9068)., 1793-1796. Lo, R. Y. (2017). The borderland between normal aging and dementia. CI Medical Journal. 29(2), 65–71. Scherrer, K. S., Ingersoll-Dayton, B., & Spencer, B. (2014). Constructing Couples’ Stories: Narrative Practice Insights from a Dyadic Dementia Intervention. Clinical and Sociology Work Journal. 42(1), 99–100.