van Dijk, A. Marijke, van Weert, Julia C. M., Dröes, Rose-Marie

Background: A new communication method, the “Veder method”, has recently been developed. Caregivers are trained to apply this method in a group activity (“living-room theatre activity”) for people with dementia in which theatrical stimuli are used in combination with proven emotion-oriented care methods. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the added value […]

Geschke, K., Scheurich, A., Schermuly, I., Laux, N., Böttcher, A., Fellgiebel, A.

Background: Psychoeducation and professional support of family caregivers are regarded as important aspects in dementia care. In the context of a general practitioner’s (GP) based dementia care project we investigated if professional counselling after making a diagnosis of dementia can reduce the development of depression in family caregivers.; Methods: 42 patients with dementia and their […]

Rowe, Meredeth A., Kairalla, John A., McCrae, Christina S.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if a nighttime home monitoring system, designed to track the movements of a care recipient with dementia, would relieve worry and improve sleep in caregivers of persons with dementia.; Design and Methods: In this controlled clinical trial, 49 dementia caregivers were followed for up to 1 […]

Donath, Carolin, Grässel, Elmar, Grossfeld-Schmitz, Maria, Menn, Petra, Lauterberg, Jörg, Wunder, Sonja, Marx, Peter, Ruckdäschel, Stephan, Mehlig, Hilmar, Holle, Rolf

Background: More than 90% of dementia patients are cared for by their general practitioners, who are decisively involved in the diagnosis, therapy and recommendation of support services.; Objective: To test whether special training of general practitioners alters the care of dementia patients through their systematic recommendation of caregiver counseling and support groups.; Method: 129 general […]

Riley-Doucet, Cheryl K.

The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of using multisensory environments (MSE) in the home of people with dementia. A qualitative research design was used, which included semi-structured interviews and self-rated caregiver observation checklists. Field notes and audio recorded interviews were transcribed for data analysis. Data were reduced and […]

Eloniemi-Sulkava, Ulla, Saarenheimo, Marja, Laakkonen, Marja-Liisa, Pietilä, Minna, Savikko, Niina, Kautiainen, Hannu, Tilvis, Reijo S., Pitkälä, Kaisu H.

Objectives: To determine whether community care of people with dementia can be prolonged with a 2-year multicomponent intervention program and to analyze effects of the intervention on total usage and expenses of social and healthcare services.; Design: Randomized controlled trial.; Setting: Community-dwelling couples with one spouse caring for the other spouse with dementia.; Participants: Couples […]

Gitlin, Laura N, Jacobs, Mimi, Earland, Tracey Vause

Purpose: families of dementia patients receiving skilled homecare do not receive supportive services. We evaluated whether a proven intervention, Environmental Skill-building Program (ESP), which reduces caregiver burden and enhances skills managing patient functioning, can be integrated into homecare practices of occupational therapists (OTs) and reimbursed through Medicare Part B.; Design and Methods: a 2-year translational […]

Wimo, A., Jönsson, L., Zbrozek, A.

Objective: Informal care is a significant component of the societal resource use and costs in dementia care. Thus it is fundamental that assessments of informal care are valid. Thus the aim was to analyse the validity of time estimates with the Resource Utilization in Dementia (RUD) instrument.; Design: Prospective observational study.; Setting: Community sample.; Participants: […]

Érsek, K., Kovács, T., Wimo, A., Kárpati, K., Brodszky, V., Péntek, M., Jönsson, L., Gustavsson, A., McDaid, D., Kenigsberg, P. A., Valtonen, H., Gulácsi, L.

Objective: The main aim of this paper is to give an overview on the quality of life, health care utilisation and costs of dementia in Hungary.; Method: A cross-sectional non-population based study of 88 consecutive dementia patients and their caregivers was conducted in three GP practices and one outpatient setting in 2008. Resource Utilization in […]