Objectives: Many studies have investigated predictors of people with dementia entering 24-h care but this is the first to consider a comprehensive range of carer and care recipient (CR) characteristics derived from a systematic review, in a longitudinal cohort study followed up for several years. Methods: We interviewed 224 people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and […]
Background: Agitation in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is common and associated with poor patient life-quality and carer distress. The best evidence-based pharmacological treatments are antipsychotics which have limited benefits with increased morbidity and mortality. There are no memantine trials in clinically significant agitation but post-hoc analyses in other populations found reduced agitation. We tested the primary […]
Background: Depression is a common and costly comorbidity in dementia. There are very few data on the cost-effectiveness of antidepressants for depression in dementia and their effects on carer outcomes.; Aims: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of sertraline and mirtazapine compared with placebo for depression in dementia.; Method: A pragmatic, multicentre, randomised placebo-controlled trial with a […]
Objective: To assess whether a manual based coping strategy compared with treatment as usual reduces depression and anxiety symptoms in carers of family members with dementia.; Design: Randomised, parallel group, superiority trial.; Setting: Three mental health community services and one neurological outpatient dementia service in London and Essex, UK.; Participants: 260 carers of family members […]
Objective: To assess whether the START (STrAtegies for RelatTives) intervention added to treatment as usual is cost effective compared with usual treatment alone.; Design: Cost effectiveness analysis nested within a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.; Setting: Three mental health and one neurological outpatient dementia service in London and Essex, UK.; Participants: Family carers of people with […]
Background: Depression is common in dementia but the evidence base for appropriate drug treatment is sparse and equivocal. We aimed to assess efficacy and safety of two of the most commonly prescribed drugs, sertraline and mirtazapine, compared with placebo.; Methods: We undertook the parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Health Technology Assessment Study of the Use of Antidepressants […]