Dementia

Background: Family caregivers contribute substantially to the care for older home-dwelling people with dementia, although community healthcare services tend to be underutilized. In this study, we aimed to explore the use and predictors of use of home-based and out-of-home respite care services available to older home-dwelling persons with dementia, as reported by the family caregivers. Method: A cross-sectional survey was administered to family caregivers (n = 430) in Northern Norway during April to November 2016.

Background and objectives: Population ageing has rapidly increased the number of people requiring end-of-life care across the globe. Governments have responded by promoting end-of-life in the community. Partly as a consequence, older spouses are frequently providing for their partner's end-of-life care at home, despite potentially facing their own health issues. While there is an emerging literature on young-old caregivers, less is known about spouse carers over 75 who are likely to face specific challenges associated with their advanced age and relationship status.

Aims: This study aims at identifying the health effects of a strength‐based intervention on family caregivers of persons with dementia and to explore the underlying mechanism. The perception of family caregivers on the strength‐based intervention will also be explored. Design: This sequential mixed‐method study comprises a double‐blind randomized controlled trial and a descriptive qualitative study. Methods: A group of 372 family caregivers of persons with dementia will be recruited from community settings.

Objective: Gaining understanding of the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of family caregivers of people with dementia with Turkish or Moroccan immigrant backgrounds and to examine whether an educational peer group intervention can improve HRQL.; Methods: Understanding of HRQL and associated variables was obtained by multiple linear regression analyses.

The Supporting Family Caregivers with Technology trial tested the FamTechCare video support intervention against telephone support. Dementia caregivers' video-recorded challenging care encounters and an interdisciplinary team provided tailored feedback. This paper reports on the effects of the intervention on caregiver confidence in managing priority challenges, a secondary outcome of this non-blinded parallel randomized controlled trial.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention, Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC), for family caregivers of individuals with dementia. A pragmatic, 2-arm randomized controlled trial compared the PTC intervention, as delivered in practice, to usual care. Participants randomized to usual care functioned as a control group and then received the PTC intervention. PTC is a 6-week manualized program that includes weekly 2-hour classes in a group setting facilitated by 2 trained and certified leaders.

Australia faces the challenge of an ageing population. The incidence of people with dementia unable to live in the community is expected to rise leading to demands on care facilities to provide specialised care. This paper reports on the effect a purpose-built Memory Support Unit has on multiple participants during the transition from home, or an aged care residence, to high level dementia care.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a comprehensive mobile application program in managing behavior and psychological symptoms of home‐dwelling patients with dementia in South Korea. Methods: A nonequivalent control group pretest‐posttest design was conducted. A total of 26 family caregivers participated in this study. The application program consists of understanding of dementia, interventions, communication skills, coping methods, and bulletin boards. Data collection was performed from July 9, 2018, to October 4, 2018.

Aim: Early‐onset dementia (EOD) (defined as dementia onset before age 65) presents specific challenges and issues, adding to the negative impact of dementia on the health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) of both patients and their caregivers. However, very few published studies have specifically compared the HRQOL of caregivers of people with EOD and late‐onset dementia (LOD). This information is critical in allocating and prioritizing scarce health‐care resources.

Background: Sleep disturbance is an issue reported by caregivers. Waking at night is a feature of dementia and by proxy, sleep disturbance among caregivers is reported to be high. Little is known about the characteristics of dementia caregivers' sleep and the factors that may influence sleep disruption. The purpose of this study was to investigate the sleep characteristics and disturbances of Australian caregivers of a person living with dementia.