Browsing by Author "Haaland, Benjamin A"
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Item Open Access Expert estimates of caregiver hours for older Singaporeans with dementia.(Australasian journal on ageing, 2012-12) Riley, Crystal M; Haaland, Benjamin A; Love, Sean R; Matchar, David BAim
To obtain experts' estimates of the number of non-medical care hours required by older Singaporeans at different stages of ageing-related dementia, with low or high behavioural features.Methods
Experts on dementia in Singapore attended one of two meetings where they provided estimates of the number of care hours required for individuals at mild, moderate and severe levels of dementia with either low or high behavioural features. The experts were shown the collated responses, given an opportunity to discuss as a group, and then polled again.Results
The estimated mean care hours varied by dementia severity and the level of behavioural features. There was no interaction between dementia severity and behavioural features.Conclusion
Estimated care hours needed by individuals with dementia is independently influenced by severity of dementia and behavioural features. These estimates may be useful for policy-makers in projecting the impact of caregiving.Item Open Access Presence of and correction for interviewer error on an instrument assessing cognitive function of older adults.(Geriatrics & gerontology international, 2015-03) Malhotra, Rahul; Haaland, Benjamin A; Chei, Choy-Lye; Chan, Angelique; Malhotra, Chetna; Matchar, David BAim
To determine the extent of interviewer error on the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ), the association between interviewer-level variables and SPMSQ score, compare the prevalence of SPMSQ cognitive status categories before and after correction for interviewer error, and identify SPMSQ items prone to interviewer error.Methods
Data of 4542 older adults from a national survey in Singapore were utilized. Multilevel models, which adjusted for respondent-level variables known to be associated with cognitive status, were utilized to determine the intraclass correlation on the SPMSQ, association of interviewer-level variables (age, ethnicity, education and number of interviews carried out) with SPMSQ and identify SPMSQ items prone to interviewer error.Results
The intraclass correlation, after adjusting for respondent-level variables, was 0.265. Interviewer educational status was associated with SPMSQ score. Correction for interviewer error resulted in an "improvement" in cognitive status of a substantial proportion of those initially classified as moderately or severely impaired. Two of the SPMSQ items, "Please count backward from 20 by 3" and "When were you born?" were particularly prone to interviewer error.Conclusions
Investigators using the SPMSQ, and potentially, other instruments, for assessing cognitive function in surveys of older adults and using face-to-face interviews for data collection should be cognizant of the sensitivity of such instruments to interviewer error. Intensive training of interviewers to standardize instrument administration as well as assessment for interviewer error and its correction, using appropriate statistical models, such as multilevel models, is warranted.