Study protocol for ELders AT Ease (ELATE): a cluster randomised controlled trial of cognitive behaviour therapy to reduce depressive symptoms in aged care residents.

Background: This protocol describes a study of the effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for reducing depressive symptoms in older adults living in residential aged care (RAC) facilities in Australia. Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent in this population, yet the benefits of CBT for reducing such symptoms in RAC facilities have not been widely investigated. Elders at Ease (ELATE) is a 16-session CBT intervention designed for implementation in RAC facilities.

Characteristics and effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for older adults living in residential care: a systematic review.

Objectives: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression and anxiety for older adults living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) needs to accommodate the care needs of residents and the circumstances of RACFs. This systematic review examines the delivery and content characteristics of these interventions, in relation to participant satisfaction, staff appraisal, uptake rate, attrition rate, and treatment effectiveness. Such a review could provide important information for the development of future CBT-based interventions.

Characteristics of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Older Adults Living in Residential Care: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

Background: The prevalence rates of depressive and anxiety disorders are high in residential aged care settings. Older adults in such settings might be prone to these disorders because of losses associated with transitioning to residential care, uncertainty about the future, as well as a decline in personal autonomy, health, and cognition. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is efficacious in treating late-life depression and anxiety.

The use of cognitive behaviour therapy in the management of BPSD in dementia (Innovative practice).

Psychosocial approaches to the management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia have received much support in the scientific literature. The following paper focuses on cognitive behaviour therapy as a valid framework in assessing and treating people with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. The importance of identifying symptoms of depression and anxiety is emphasized, as cognitive behaviour therapy has been shown to be an effective intervention for these conditions in older adults.

Staff's views on managing symptoms of dementia in nursing home residents.

Aim To identify the most common and distressing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in nursing homes and to identify staff preferences regarding its behavioural management. Method A descriptive cross-sectional survey was completed by a self-selected sample of 247 staff working in 21 nursing homes in a defined catchment area. The survey contained items relating to experience in aged care work, attitudes towards BPSD, ratings of the importance of certain behavioural strategies for managing BPSD, and the Challenging Behaviour Scale.

Predictors of interest in working with older adults: a survey of postgraduate trainee psychologists.

Despite the growing number of older adults that implies an increasing need for psychological services, few psychologists choose to specialize in working with older clients. The present cross-sectional research examined predictors of student interest in working with older clients in an effort to understand factors that may influence future psychologists to work in this area. The targeted sample consisted of Australian postgraduate psychology students whose course coordinators responded to a request to participate in this national survey.

Reactions to ageing among Australian psychologists.

Objective: To assess attitudes towards personal ageing among Australian psychologists.

Methods: Six hundred and four practising psychologists were surveyed using the Reactions to Ageing Questionnaire (RAQ). Potential predictors of attitudes to ageing, such as age, gender and number of years in clinical practice were examined, together with the amount and quality of contact with older family members and older friends.

Treatment of anxiety in the cognitively impaired elderly: can cognitive-behavior therapy help?

Anxiety is commonly reported in patients with dementia, resulting in a further decline in functioning. An overview of the clinical application of cognitive-behavioral techniques in treating anxiety in elderly patients with brain damage is presented. Two cases are described with a focus on clinical anxiety management techniques that have been modified to suit cognitively impaired elderly patients.

Longitudinal study of cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer's disease using single photon emission tomography.

Ten patients with probable Alzheimer's disease were assessed at baseline and a mean 2 years later using a battery of neuropsychological tests, CT scans and Tc99m-HMPAO SPECT scans. The subjects had declined significantly in their functional indices. Cerebral perfusion measures declined in the parietal lobes, left hemisphere and whole brain, but the overall decline did not reach statistical significance.