Dementia

Objectives: • Describe 1-2 examples of experiences living and receiving care at home from the perspective of people with dementia and/or family caregivers • Describe 1-2 examples of unmet palliative care needs from the perspective of people with dementia and/or family caregivers receiving or providing care at home.  Importance: People with dementia (PWD) and their families represent a growing population who is increasingly accessing palliative care in the United States.

Deaf sign language users living with dementia and their carers, some of whom are Deaf, routinely face everyday barriers in accessing information, support (both formal and informal) and services. The familial care situation is further complicated given that most Deaf people will choose a life partner who is Deaf and most Deaf couples will have hearing children. This study focussed specifically on the everyday experiences of Deaf carers and the impact of caring for a loved one with dementia.

Background and Objectives Arts activities can improve social connectedness and foster reciprocity between people living with dementia and their caregivers. The extent to which the arts can help shape attitudes towards dementia remains unclear. This paper explores the impact of a 12-week visual arts program "Dementia and Imagination" on the attitudes of family and professional caregivers through a mixed-methods longitudinal investigation, underpinned by a conceptual framework of the arts in dementia care.

Background: Most persons with dementia have multiple chronic conditions; however, it is unclear whether co-existing chronic conditions contribute to health-care use and cost. Methods: Persons with dementia and >= 2 chronic conditions using the National Health and Aging Trends Study and Medicare claims data, 2011 to 2014. Results: Chronic kidney disease and ischemic heart disease were significantly associated with increased adjusted risk ratios of annual hospitalizations, hospitalization costs, and direct medical costs.

Population ageing within Europe has major social and economic consequences. One of the most devastating conditions that predominantly affects older people is dementia. The SMART4MD (Support Monitoring and Reminder Technology for Mild Dementia) project aims to develop and test a health application specifically designed for people with mild dementia.

Background: The Alzheimer Café is a psychosocial intervention shown to have benefits for family carers of people with dementia. Family carers experience a period of change across all aspects of their lives following the dementia diagnosis, and require new skills and tools to navigate these new landscapes. The objective of this research was to investigate family carers' perspectives of the Alzheimer Café in Ireland, and explore how attendance may translate into broader benefits in their lives.

Background: While dementia policy strategies emphasize the importance of partnerships between families and formal carers to provide tailored care and effectively allocate community resources, family carers often feel left out or excluded. Poor communication has been identified as one reason for the lack of good partnerships. Few studies have investigated how family carers seek to involve themselves when they experience sub-optimal services, and how their strategies may depend on different considerations and personal abilities.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Hospice care confers well‐documented benefits to patients and their families, but it is underutilized. One potential reason is inadequate family support to make end‐of‐life decisions and care for older adults on hospice at home. We assessed the association between amount of family support and hospice use among a population of decedents and among specific illness types. DESIGN Prospective cohort study using the National Health and Aging Trends Study waves 2011 to 2017, linked to Medicare claims data. SETTING Contiguous United States.

The current Western health policy of ageing in place relies on a triad collaboration among patients, healthcare service providers and family caregivers. Such collaborations presuppose involvement in a vague juridical landscape. This article explores family caregivers' experiences with involvement in and influence on nursing home decision-making processes for persons with dementia. The data consist of 12 in-depth interviews with family caregivers.

Aims: To understand factors influencing the experience of carers for people with dementia, when that person moves from living in the community to living in residential care. Specifically, we aimed to identify facilitators and inhibitors of carer adjustment during this transition. Method: A systematic search of CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, and PsycINFO databases was conducted. Nine qualitative articles published between 2001 and 2017, based on the experiences of 141 carers, were included.