Gitlin, Laura N, Mann, William C, Vogel, W, Arthur, Paul B

Background: Behavioral symptoms accompanying dementia are associated with increased health care costs, reduced quality of life and daily functioning, heightened family caregiver burden, and nursing home placement. Standard care typically involves pharmacologic agents, but these are, at best, modestly effective, carry serious risks, including mortality, and do not address behavioral symptoms families consider most distressful […]

Gibbons, Laura E., McCurry, Susan, Rhoads, Kristoffer, Masaki, Kamal, White, Lon, Borenstein, Amy R., Larson, Eric B., Crane, Paul K.

Background: The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) was designed for use in cross-cultural studies of Japanese and Japanese-American elderly in Japan and the U.S.A. The measurement equivalence in Japanese and English had not been confirmed in prior studies.; Methods: We analyzed the 40 CASI items for differential item functioning (DIF) related to test language, as […]

George, Daniel R., Singer, Mendel E.

Objectives: To evaluate whether a structured intergenerational volunteering intervention would enhance quality of life (QOL) for persons with mild to moderate dementia.; Methods: Fifteen participants were randomized into intervention and control groups. The intervention group participated in hour-long structured volunteer sessions with a kindergarten class and an older elementary class in alternating weeks during a […]

Galasko, D., Bell, J., Mancuso, J. Y., Kupiec, J. W., Sabbagh, M. N., van Dyck, C., Thomas, R. G., Aisen, P. S.

Objective: To examine safety, tolerability, and efficacy of PF-04494700, an inhibitor of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), in mild to moderate Alzheimer disease (AD).; Methods: Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at 40 academic centers (United States). Subjects with AD and Mini-Mental State Examination score 14-26 were randomized to PF-04494700 60 mg/day × 6 days, […]

Duru, O. Kenrik, Ettner, Susan L., Vassar, Stefanie D., Chodosh, Joshua, Vickrey, Barbara G.

Objective: To calculate intervention costs and the potential cost offset of a care management intervention that substantially improved the quality of dementia care.; Study Design: From both a payer perspective and a social planner perspective, we analyzed data from a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating this intervention versus usual care. The RCT included 408 […]

Carlson, M. C., Erickson, K. I., Kramer, A. F., Voss, M. W., Bolea, N., Mielke, M., McGill, S., Rebok, G. W., Seeman, T., Fried, L. P.

Objective: To determine whether Experience Corps (EC), a social service program, would improve age-vulnerable executive functions and increase activity in brain regions in a high-risk group through increased cognitive and physical activity.; Methods: Eight community-dwelling, older female volunteers and nine matched wait-list controls were recruited to serve in the ongoing EC: Baltimore program in three […]

Brown, Arleen F., Vassar, Stefanie D., Connor, Karen I., Vickrey, Barbara G.

Objectives: To examine educational gradients in dementia care and whether the effect of a dementia collaborative care management intervention varied according to the educational attainment of the informal caregiver.; Design: Analysis of data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial.; Setting: Eighteen clinics in three healthcare organizations in southern California.; Participants: Dyads of Medicare recipients aged 65 […]

Brodaty, Henry, Mittelman, Mary, Gibson, Louisa, Seeher, Katrin, Burns, Alistair

Objective: Does psychosocial intervention for caregivers whose spouses with Alzheimer disease (AD) are taking donepezil delay nursing home (NH) placement or death of patients?; Design: Randomized controlled trial with 2 years of active treatment and up to 8.5 years of follow-up (mean: 5.4 years, SD: 2.4).; Setting: Outpatients of research clinics in Australia, the United […]