Objective Although depressive symptoms are widely recognized as a predictor of functional decline among older adults, little is known about the predictive utility of apathy in this population. We prospectively examined apathy symptoms as predictors of incident slow gait, frailty and disability among non-demented, community-dwelling older adults. Methods We examined two independent prospective cohort studies - the LonGenity study (N = 625, 53% women, mean age 75.2 years) and the Central Control of Mobility in Aging (CCMA) study (N = 312, 57% women, mean age 76.4 years). Individuals were recruited from 2008 to 2014. Apathy was assessed using 3 items from the Geriatric Depression Scale. Slow gait was defined as 1 standard deviation or more below age and sex-adjusted mean values, frailty was defined using the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria, and disability was assessed with a well-validated disability scale. Results The prevalence of apathy was 20% in LonGenity cohort and 26% in the CCMA cohort. The presence of apathy at baseline, independent of depressive symptoms (besides apathy), increased risk of developing incident slow gait (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.10; CI = 1.36–3.24; p = .001), frailty (HR = 2.86; CI = 1.96–4.16; p < .001), and disability (HR = 3.43; CI = 1.73–6.79; p < .001) in the pooled sample. These associations remained significant when accounting for demographics, medical illnesses, and cognitive function. Conclusions Apathy is associated with increased risk of developing slow gait, frailty, and disability, independent of other established risk factors, in non-demented older adults. Apathy should be screened as a potentially preventable cause of functional decline in clinical psychiatric settings.

Little is known about aggression in caregiving relationships in the Australian context, although the topic has received considerable attention in recent overseas literature. This paper reports on a sample of 39 female primary caregivers recruited from the Brisbane metropolitan area and interviewed about a range of aggressive acts directed against them by dementing dependents, while they were providing care in the community. Results show that aggression against caregivers was reported in 89 per cent of cases. Serious violence was experienced by 26 per cent of the sample. In order to provide a coordinated policy an intersectoral approach may be useful.

We examined the relationship of apathy with neurocognitive performance, age, disease markers, and functional disability in 61-HIV-infected individuals. Apathy was assessed with the Apathy Evaluation Scale and was significantly associated with highest HIV plasma level, functional disability, and neurocognitive performance. individuals with higher apathy levels demonstrated a stronger association between age and processing speed performance. Our findings suggest that apathy is related to poor neuropsychological functioning, HIV plasma levels, and increased functional disability in individuals with HIV Additionally, to our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate an interactive effect of age and apathy on neuropsychological performance in HIV.

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