User, carer and staff perspectives on anxiety in dementia: a qualitative study.

Background: Anxiety is extremely common in dementia and can lead to social exclusion, excess disability and associated problems including high physical dependency, problems in the patient/carer relationship, and increased cognitive and behavioural difficulties. Despite this, there is little research on the detection or management of anxiety in dementia, and nothing from the perspective of people with dementia or their carers.

Methods: This study aimed to conceptualize users', carers' and staff views on the causes and management of anxiety in dementia.

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST): effects on different areas of cognitive function for people with dementia.

Background: There is good evidence indicating that group Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) leads to generalised cognitive benefits for people with dementia. However, little is known about whether some aspects of cognition might change more than others and why.

Methods: Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, a 14-session group treatment, has been evaluated in a multi-centre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial.

Changes in the quality of life of people with dementia living in care homes.

Quality of Life (QoL) is now an established outcome measure for people with dementia. There is a need to understand if measures are sensitive to change and what factors are associated with change in QoL in dementia to develop interventions to improve QoL and identify who may be most likely to benefit. This study aimed to assess change in QoL in people living in 24-hour care homes using the Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) scale and investigated which clinical factors predicted changes in QoL in dementia.

Reminiscence groups for people with dementia and their family carers: pragmatic eight-centre randomised trial of joint reminiscence and maintenance versus usual treatment: a protocol.

Background: The growing number of people with dementia, and the increasing cost of care, provides a major incentive to develop and test methods of supporting them in the community for longer. Most attention has been given to pharmacological interventions, but there is increasing recognition that psychosocial interventions may be equally effective, even preferable where medication has negative side-effects. Reminiscence groups, run by professionals and volunteers, which use photographs, recordings and other objects to trigger personal memories are probably the most popular therapeutic approach to working with people with dementia, but there is little evidence for their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.

Validation study of the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE) in Portugal.

Background: The Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE) is widely used for multidimensional evaluation of older people with mental health problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate reliability and validity of a Portuguese version of CANE.

Method: A cross-sectional multicenter study was designed using a convenience sample of elderly mental health services' users.

What is meaningful activity for people with dementia living in care homes? A comparison of the views of older people with dementia, staff and family carers.

Background: Older people with dementia living in care homes often lack appropriate activities. Although homes are expected to offer a range of activities to meet residents' needs, little is known about what makes activities meaningful for people with dementia. This study explores concepts of meaningful activity, as defined by older people with dementia living in care homes, staff and family carers.

Cognitive stimulation for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the recognition and use of psychosocial interventions for dementia. This has coincided with an increase in high-quality research in the area, and restrictions in the use of drug therapies for Alzheimer's disease in the UK. Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is a brief group treatment for people with mild-to-moderate dementia, based on the theoretical concepts of reality orientation and cognitive stimulation.

The needs of people with dementia in care homes: the perspectives of users, staff and family caregivers.

Background: People with dementia in care homes are at risk of having their views ignored and decisions are often made on their behalf by care home staff and family carers. The aim of this study was to compare the ratings of needs of older people with dementia living in care homes, as assessed by the older person themselves, a family caregiver, and the staff of the care home.

Method: The Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE) was completed for 238 residents with dementia by care staff.

Assessing the validity and reliability of the Pool Activity Level (PAL) Checklist for use with older people with dementia.

Activity is key to maintaining physical and mental health and well-being. However, as dementia affects the ability to engage in activity, care-givers can find it difficult to provide appropriate activities. The Pool Activity Level (PAL) Checklist guides the selection of appropriate, personally meaningful activities.

Coping strategies, anxiety and depression in caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Objectives: There have been few longitudinal studies investigating the impact of coping on psychological morbidity in caregivers of people with dementia. Findings have been inconsistent and little attention has been paid to anxiety in caregivers. We explored the hypothesis that the relationship between caregiver burden and anxiety and depression is mediated by coping style.

Does the patient-centred approach help identify the needs of older people attending primary care?

Objectives: To investigate the effect of a general practitioner's 'patient centredness' on identification of unmet needs in older adults.

Design: Correlational questionnaire based study with a descriptive element.

Setting: Two south London general practice surgeries.

A cluster randomised controlled trial to reduce the unmet needs of people with dementia living in residential care.

Background: Older people with dementia living in residential care have complex unmet needs and decreased quality of life.

Aim: To reduce unmet needs in older people with dementia in residential care compared to a 'care as usual' control group.

Method: A single blind, multicentre, cluster randomised controlled trial recruited 238 people aged 60+ with dementia living in 24 residential homes from three areas.

Quality of life in dementia: care recipient and caregiver perceptions of quality of life in dementia: the LASER-AD study.

Background: Quality of Life (QoL) is a key outcome in dementia.

Aim: To compare care recipients' (CR) and caregivers' (CG) views on CRs' QoL and identify determinants.

Methods: CRs and CGs completed the Quality of Life - Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) scale.

Quality of life (QoL) in dementia: a comparison of the perceptions of people with dementia and care staff in residential homes.

Evaluating quality of life (QoL) in people with dementia has become increasingly valued, for example in assessing the effectiveness of interventions or making treatment decisions. This study compared the QoL of people with dementia as assessed by the individuals and their care staff, and possible factors associated with the discrepancy between ratings. Seventy-six dyads of people with dementia and care staff in 9 residential homes were recruited.

Cognitive stimulation therapy for people with dementia: cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: Psychological therapy groups for people with dementia are widely used, but their cost-effectiveness has not been explored.

Aims: To investigate the cost-effectiveness of an evidence-based cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) programme for people with dementia as part of a randomised controlled trial.

Method: A total of 91 people with dementia, living in care homes or the community, received a CST group intervention twice weekly for 8 weeks; 70 participants with dementia received treatment as usual.

Coping strategies and anxiety in caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease: the LASER-AD study.

Background: Caregivers of people with dementia (CGPD) frequently have anxiety symptoms but little is known about the relationship of anxiety with coping strategies.

Method: 126 people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their family caregivers living in the community were recruited from local psychiatric services, the voluntary sector and care homes. Sampling was designed to ensure that the sample was epidemiologically representative in terms of dementia severity, gender and care setting.

The needs of older people with dementia in residential care.

Background: People with dementia often move into care homes as their needs become too complex or expensive for them to remain in their own homes. Little is known about how well their needs are met within care homes.

Method: The aim of this study was to identify the unmet needs of people with dementia in care and the characteristics associated with high levels of needs.

Erotomania secondary to cerebrovascular accident in frontotemporal impairment.

We report a case of erotomania with onset coinciding with a cerebrovascular accident in a 65-year-old woman. She believed Dick Haymes, a famous singer and actor who died in 1980 was in love with her, visited her and wanted to have sex with her. It is argued that the erotomania stemmed from an interaction between the frontotemporal impairment due to the cerebrovascular accident and personality factors.

Don't seize the day hospital! Recent research on the effectiveness of day hospitals for older people with mental health problems.

Background: Day hospital (DH) care remains a core component of mental health services for older people. However, there has been an ongoing debate about the effectiveness and value for money of DHs in comparison to day centres (DC).

Aim: The aim was to review the recent research on the effectiveness of day hospitals for older people with mental health problems.

Higher fat and carbohydrate intake in dementia patients is associated with increased blood glutathione peroxidase activity.

Background: Mounting evidence implicates diets high in fats and processed sugars with increased generation of free radicals in animals. It is still not clearly established whether such a diet alters antioxidant balance in dementia patients, where an oxidative stress status may already exist. The disruption to lipid metabolism by oxidative stress has been recently linked to neurodegeneration and clinical disease.

A pilot study examining the effectiveness of maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (MCST) for people with dementia.

Background: A recent randomised controlled trial on Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) identified the need to evaluate its more long-term benefits for people with dementia. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a weekly maintenance CST programme for people with dementia in residential care.

Method: Thirty-five people with dementia were included, following on from a seven-week twice-weekly study of CST.