Dementia friendly design

Few studies have investigated the experience of male carers of people with dementia and fewer specifically examined whether male and female carers of people with dementia differ in their approach to the caring role. As such, this research set-out to investigate whether male carers of people with dementia approach the caring role differently to female carers. Data from 167 survey participants (24 males and 143 females) were analysed using a mixed research methodology. Participants' demographics and scores on standardised burden and coping scales were analysed using linear regression...

Caring for people living with dementia often leads to social isolation and decreased support for caregivers. This study investigated the effect of a Virtual Dementia-Friendly Rural Communities (Verily Connect) model on social support and demand for caregivers of people living with dementia. The co-designed intervention entailed an integrated website and mobile application, peer-support videoconference, and technology learning hubs. This mixed-methods, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised controlled trial was conducted with 113 participants from 12 rural communities in Australia...

OBJECTIVES: Resources to support dementia carers from ethnically diverse families are limited. We explored carers' and service providers' views on adapting the World Health Organization's iSupport Lite messages to meet their needs. METHODS: Six online workshops were conducted with ethnically diverse family carers and service providers ( n  = 21) from nine linguistic groups across Australia. Recruitment was via convenience and snowball sampling from existing networks...

Our study aimed to explore how perceived baseline contact may influence acceptability of Connecting Today , a personal contact intervention, among people living with dementia. We aimed to generate hypotheses for testing in future studies. This was a sub-group analysis of pilot study data. Fifteen people living with mild to moderate dementia participated in Connecting Today. We explored how perceptions of intervention acceptability may differ in groups reporting weekly contact ( n = 8) compared with groups reporting monthly/unknown ( n = 7) contact at baseline...

BACKGROUND: The use of smartphones and other digital devices (such as tablets and smartwatches) is important for the aging population to enhance and optimize communications with caregivers, families, friends, and providers. It also provides a platform for app-based activities to promote mental, physical, spiritual, and social well-being and virtual social connectedness. We, therefore, examined types of digital devices and categories of smartphone functions used by caregivers and care recipients in comparison to those without any caregiving roles...

BACKGROUND: Reducing avoidable nursing home (NH)-to-hospital transfers of residents with Alzheimer disease or a related dementia (ADRD) has become a national priority due to the physical and emotional toll it places on residents and the high costs to Medicare and Medicaid. Technologies supporting the use of clinical text messages (TMs) could improve communication among health care team members and have considerable impact on reducing avoidable NH-to-hospital transfers. Although text messaging is a widely accepted mechanism of communication, clinical models of care using TMs are sparsely reported in the literature, especially in NHs...

INTRODUCTION: Dementia awareness is a key priority of medical and nursing pre-registration education. The 'dementia friends' programme is an internationally recognised and accredited dementia awareness workshop that is led by a trained facilitator. While this programme has been associated with positive outcomes, few studies have examined how medical and nursing students apply their learning in practice after the workshop. The aim of his study was to explore how nursing and medical students apply the dementia friend's programme into practice when caring for people living with dementia...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dementia-friendly communities (DFCs) are systematic and collaborative efforts to make local communities more supportive and inclusive of persons living with dementia and their care partners. This study explores how the organizational characteristics of senior centers influence their engagement in DFCs. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We used a partially mixed, concurrent, equal status design, drawing on qualitative interviews with staff from 13 senior centers leading DFC initiatives as part of a statewide dementia-friendly network in Massachusetts, as well as quantitative data from 342 senior centers collected as part of a statewide survey...

BACKGROUND: Web-based tools for people with dementia and their family caregivers have considerably increased over the years and offer promising solutions to several unmet needs such as supporting self-care in daily life, facilitating treatment delivery, or ensuring their ability to communicate. The use of web-based tools in the field of advance care planning (ACP) for people with dementia and their family caregivers has yet to be explored and requires careful consideration, given the sensitive topic and the specific needs of people with dementia and their families...

This mixed-methods complementarity study explored family members', friends', and health care providers' perspectives of acceptability of group leisure activities as an intervention for loneliness experienced by older adults living with dementia. A sample of 25 family members, friends, and health care providers of people living with dementia in ON rated the acceptability of group leisure activities (adapted Treatment Perception and Preference questionnaire) and discussed their ratings in an interview. Quantitative (descriptive statistics) and qualitative (conventional content analysis) results were integrated to understand acceptability...

INTRODUCTION: Despite abundant literature on the diagnosis of dementia, limited research has explored the lived experiences of radiography practitioners when providing care to people living with dementia in the department. OBJECTIVES: This qualitative study explored the perceptions and compatibility of current professional guidance by both diagnostic imaging and radiotherapeutic radiography practitioners as well as the key stakeholders involved with developing the Society and College of Radiographers clinical practice guidelines for caring for people with dementia...

The Seniors Exercise Park program is an evidence-based outdoor physical and social activity program designed originally for older people with no cognitive impairment. This study aimed to pilot this program for people living with dementia in residential aged care. We examined the feasibility of delivering the program, evaluating its structure, safety, and supervision needs. In addition, physical, social, health and cognitive benefits of participation were examined. Method This was a feasibility pilot randomised controlled design...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: As the nowadays provision of many healthcare services relies on technology, a better understanding of the factors contributing to the acceptance and use of technology in health care is essential. For Alzheimer's patients, an electronic personal health record (ePHR) is one such technology. Stakeholders should understand the factors affecting the adoption of this technology for its smooth implementation, adoption, and sustainable use. So far, these factors have not fully been understood for Alzheimer's disease (AD)-specific ePHR...

Aging populations are at increased risk of sleep deficiencies (e.g., insomnia) that are associated with a variety of chronic health risks, including Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). Insomnia medications carry additional risk, including increased drowsiness and falls, as well as polypharmacy risks. The recommended first-line treatment for insomnia is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi), but access is limited. Telehealth is one way to increase access, particularly for older adults, but to date telehealth has been typically limited to simple videoconferencing portals...

BACKGROUND: Research and policy demonstrate the value of and need for systematically identifying and preparing care partners for their caregiving responsibilities while their family member or friend living with dementia is hospitalized. The Care Partner Hospital Assessment Tool (CHAT) has undergone content and face validation and has been endorsed as appropriate by clinicians to facilitate the timely identification and preparation of care partners of older adult patients during their hospitalization...

OBJECTIVES: Social isolation and loneliness affect the quality of life of people living with dementia, yet few interventions have been developed for this population. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of 'Connecting Today', a remote visiting program designed for use with care home residents living with dementia. METHODS: This was a feasibility study to assess whether Connecting Today can be delivered in care homes, and was acceptable to family and friends and people living with dementia...

ISSUE ADDRESSED: As the population ages the prevalence of dementia increases and children are increasingly experiencing family members and older friends living with dementia. Unfortunately, stigma about living with dementia is common. Increasing understanding about dementia among children has the potential to reduce this stigma. This paper reports on the qualitative findings of Project DARE (dementia knowledge, art, research and education), a school-based, multi-modal, arts program designed to increase understanding about dementia among children aged 8-10 years...

BACKGROUND: Informal care provided by family members, friends, or neighbors is a major pillar in the German long-term care system. As the number of care-dependent older adults grow, ensuring their future care still relies on the willingness of family members, friends, or neighbors to assume the role of an informal caregiver. This study aimed to investigate the impact on people's willingness to provide informal care to a close relative with predominately cognitive compared to physical impairments...

Most older adults with dementia live at home, they primarily receive care provided by family members and friends. Given the decline in memory and other cognitive functions, there to be higher rates of touch points with the health system for those living with dementia. Evidence has shown that these care transitions mark critical changes in the lives of older people, including significant and far-reaching changes to family caregivers. Therefore, it is imperative that complex social processes enacted by persons with dementia and their family caregivers in response to care transitions be more thoroughly explained...

BACKGROUND: Unmet care needs among older adults accelerate cognitive and functional decline and increase medical harms, leading to poorer quality of life, more frequent hospitalizations, and premature nursing home admission. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is invested in becoming an "Age-Friendly Health System" to better address four tenets associated with reduced harm and improved outcomes among the 4 million Veterans aged 65 and over receiving VA care. These four tenets focus on "4Ms" that are fundamental to the care of older adults, including (1) what Matters (ensuring that care is consistent with each person's goals and preferences); (2) Medications (only using necessary medications and ensuring that they do not interfere with what matters, mobility, or mentation); (3) Mentation (preventing, identifying, treating, and managing dementia, depression, and delirium); and (4) Mobility (promoting safe movement to maintain function and independence)...