Characterizing Alzheimers Disease and Serious Mental Illness Co-Occurrence Among Nursing Home Residents and Relationship to Symptomatology and Care Practices
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) experience progressive cognitive decline and behavioral and functional impairment. With disease progression, individuals with ADRD also experience heightened risk for poor outcomes which often culminate in the need for skilled care provided in nursing homes (NH); almost all individuals with ADRD will receive short- or long-term NH care at some point. While providing high-quality, person-centered ADRD care is a national priority, progress toward this goal is limited in part by a lack of understanding regarding the influence of major comorbidities on ADRD disease burden, care needs, and symptoms. In particular, comorbid serious mental illness (SMI), which is common among individuals with ADRD, remains understudied despite its impact on disease risk, burden, care needs, and symptomatology. Burden of both ADRD and SMI is particularly high in NH settings. Understanding whether SMI plays an additive ro