The clinical and cost-effectiveness of a Victim Improvement Package (VIP) for the reduction of chronic symptoms of depression or anxiety in older victims of common crime (the VIP trial): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Older people are vulnerable to sustained high levels of psychosocial distress following a crime. A cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-informed psychological therapy, the Victim Improvement Package (VIP) may aid recovery. The VIP trial aims to test the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the VIP for alleviating depressive and anxiety symptoms in older victims of crime.

Helping Aged Victims of Crime (the HAVoC Study): Common Crime, Older People and Mental Illness--ERRATUM.

The author list previously published for this article was incomplete when received by the journal. It should also have included Gerard Leavey, University College London, UK, as an author, as follows: Marc Serfaty, Anna Ridgewell, Vari Drennan, Chris R. Brewin, Gerard Leavey, Anwen Wright, Gloria Laycock, Martin Blanchard.

Helping Aged Victims of Crime (the HAVoC Study): Common Crime, Older People and Mental Illness.

Backgound: Limited data suggest that crime may have a devastating impact on older people. Although identification and treatment may be beneficial, no well-designed studies have investigated the prevalence of mental disorder and the potential benefits of individual manualized CBT in older victims of crime.

Aims: To identify mental health problems in older victims of common crime, provide preliminary data on its prevalence, and conduct a feasibility randomized controlled trial (RCT) using mixed methods.

Survival of people with dementia after unplanned acute hospital admission: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: To examine the effect of dementia on longer term survival after hospital admission, and to assess whether dementia is an independent predictor of mortality. This information is vital for the provision of appropriate care.

Methods: A prospective cohort study, in a large urban acute general hospital, of 616 people (70 years and older) with unplanned medical admission.

Study protocol: the behaviour and pain in dementia study (BePAID).

Background: People with dementia admitted to the acute hospital often receive poor quality care particularly with regards to management of behavioural and psychiatric symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and of pain. There have been no UK studies on the prevalence and type of pain or BPSD in people with dementia in this setting, or on how these may impact on patients, carers, staff and costs of care.

Methods/design: We shall recruit older people with dementia who have unplanned acute medical admissions and measure the prevalence of BPSD using the Behave-AD (Behaviour in Alzheimer's Disease) and the CMAI (Cohen Mansfield Agitation Inventory).

Prevalence of dementia in African-Caribbean compared with UK-born White older people: two-stage cross-sectional study.

Background: Preliminary studies in the UK, all using screening instruments of unknown cultural validity, indicate that there may be an increased prevalence of dementia in African-Caribbean people, possibly related to vascular risk factors and potentially amenable to preventative measures.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of dementia in older people of African-Caribbean country of birth compared with their White UK-born counterparts.

Method: A total of 218 people of African-Caribbean country of birth and 218 White UK-born people aged ≥60 years were recruited from five general practices in North London.

Palliative assessment and advance care planning in severe dementia: an exploratory randomized controlled trial of a complex intervention.

Patients with advanced dementia often receive poor end-of-life care. We aimed to design and pilot a palliative care and advance care plan (ACP) intervention. Patients had undergone emergency hospital admission and had severe dementia.

Family carers' distress and abusive behaviour: longitudinal study.

Background: A third of family carers of people with dementia report abusive behaviour towards the person for whom they are caring. This is the first longitudinal study to investigate such behaviour.

Aims: To test our hypotheses that carers' reports of abusive behaviour would increase over time, and that change in abuse scores would be predicted by change in anxiety and depression scores.

Antidementia drugs: prescription by level of cognitive impairment or by socio-economic group?

Objectives: We aimed to investigate for the first time whether cholinesterase inhibitor prescription was associated with economic status in a population of people with dementia.

Method: We recruited 215 people with dementia, living independently, who were consecutively referred to five Community Mental Health Teams in London and Essex. We tested our hypothesis that home owners were more likely to be prescribed cholinesterase inhibitors than those who rented their accommodation.

Clinical effectiveness of individual cognitive behavioral therapy for depressed older people in primary care: a randomized controlled trial.

Context: In older people, depressive symptoms are common, psychological adjustment to aging is complex, and associated chronic physical illness limits the use of antidepressants. Despite this, older people are rarely offered psychological interventions, and only 3 randomized controlled trials of individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in a primary care setting have been published.

Objective: To determine the clinical effectiveness of CBT delivered in primary care for older people with depression.

End of life care for community dwelling older people with dementia: an integrated review.

Objective: To review the evidence for end-of-life care for community dwelling older people with dementia (including those resident in care homes).

Design: An integrated review synthesised the qualitative and quantitative evidence on end-of-life care for community dwelling older people with dementia. English language studies that focused on prognostic indicators for end-of-life care, assessment, support/relief, respite and educational interventions for community dwelling older people with dementia were included.

Dementia in the acute hospital: prospective cohort study of prevalence and mortality.

Background: Increasing numbers of people will die with dementia, many in the acute hospital. It is often not perceived to be a life-limiting illness.

Aims: To investigate the prevalence of dementia in older people undergoing emergency medical admission and its effect on outcomes.

The sensitivity and specificity of the Modified Conflict Tactics Scale for detecting clinically significant elder abuse.

Background: A third of family carers of people with dementia describe acting abusively in research studies, but far fewer cases of abuse are currently detected in clinical situations. This discrepancy may be explained by inadequate detection by health professionals, or disagreement regarding what constitutes elder abuse. This study was undertaken to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the revised Modified Conflict Tactics Scale (MCTS) for detecting clinically significant abuse.

What would help me stop abusing? The family carer's perspective.

Background: A third of family members caring for people with dementia report acting abusively towards them, but there are currently no evidence-based interventions to reduce or prevent such behavior. Family carers who act abusively have not previously been consulted about what may help to reduce abuse.

Method: We prospectively recruited a consecutive sample of 220 family carers of people with dementia referred to secondary psychiatric services.

A systematic review of the prevalence and covariates of dementia or relative cognitive impairment in the older African-Caribbean population in Britain.

Objectives: To collate evidence regarding the prevalence and predictors of dementia or relative cognitive impairment in older, African-Caribbean people in Britain, as compared to their white, British peers.

Design: We conducted a systematic literature review by searching electronic databases, contacting experts in the field and searching the references of identified papers for studies fulfilling our predefined inclusion criteria. They were divided into those measuring the prevalence or incidence of dementia or cognitive impairment, and those investigating risk factors.

Abuse of people with dementia by family carers: representative cross sectional survey.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of abusive behaviours by family carers of people with dementia.

Design: Representative cross sectional survey

Setting: Community mental health teams in Essex and London.

Participants: 220 family carers of people newly referred to secondary psychiatric services with dementia who were living at home.

Palliative care in advanced dementia; A mixed methods approach for the development of a complex intervention.

Background: There is increasing interest in improving the quality of care that patients with advanced dementia receive when they are dying. Our understanding of the palliative care needs of these patients and the natural history of advanced disease is limited. Many people with advanced dementia have unplanned emergency admissions to the acute hospital; this is a critical event: half will die within 6 months.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept) for reducing the incidence of postoperative delirium after elective total hip replacement.

Objectives: This was a pilot, phase 2a study to assess methodological feasibility and the safety and efficacy of donepezil in preventing postoperative delirium after elective total hip replacement surgery in older people without pre-existing dementia. The hypothesis was that donepezil would reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium.

Methods: A double blind, placebo controlled, parallel group randomized trial was undertaken.

Estimating needs in life threatening illness: a feasibility study to assess the views of patients and doctors.

Background: Provision of palliative care for patients with non-cancer conditions is hindered by the difficulty of predicting when people will die and fear of causing distress by raising end-of-life issues.

Objectives: To compare patients' and professionals' (1) estimations of prognosis; (2) perceptions of the seriousness of the illness and needs for supportive care; and (3) acceptability of this sensitive research, in end-stage cancer and non-cancer diseases.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Older adults' attitudes to death, palliative treatment and hospice care.

Background: Cancer patients who receive care from specialist palliative care services in the UK are younger than those who do not receive this care. This may be explained by age-related differences in attitudes to end-of-life care.

Objective: To determine the relationship between age and i) attitudes to death and preparation for death; and ii) knowledge about, and attitudes to, cancer and palliative care.