Attitudes toward advance care planning among persons with dementia and their caregivers.

Objectives: To examine factors that influence decision-making, preferences, and plans related to advance care planning (ACP) and end-of-life care among persons with dementia and their caregivers, and examine how these may differ by race.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: 13 geographically dispersed Alzheimer's Disease Centers across the United States.

Reliability and Validity of SymTrak, a Multi-Domain Tool for Monitoring Symptoms of Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions.

Background: A reliable and valid clinically practical multi-domain self-report and caregiver-report tool is needed for tracking actionable symptoms in primary care for elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs).

Objective: Assess internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and sensitivity to change for SymTrak.

Design And Participants: Among 600 (200 patient-caregiver dyads, 200 patients without an identified caregiver) participants, SymTrak was telephone interviewer-administered at baseline and 3-month follow-up, and at 24 h post-baseline for assessing test-retest reliability in a random subsample of 180 (60 dyads, 60 individual patients) participants.

Development and Feasibility of SymTrak, aMulti-domain Tool for Monitoring Symptoms of Older Adults in Primary Care.

Background: A clinically practical, brief, user-friendly, multi-domain self-report and caregiver-report tool is needed for tracking actionable symptoms in primary care for elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs).

Objective: Develop and assess usability, administration time, and internal reliability of SymTrak.

Design And Participants: Phase I: legacy instruments, content validity, analyses of existing data, focus groups (physicians, nurses, patients, informal caregivers), and Think Aloud interviews (patients, caregivers) were used to develop SymTrak.

Exploration of Perceived Psychosocial Benefits of Senior Companion Program Participation Among Urban-Dwelling, Low-Income Older Adult Women Volunteers.

Background: As the older adult population increases, it is imperative to increase older adults' opportunities for social involvement, thus maintaining their important roles and contributions to society. While there are known health-related benefits of volunteerism among older adults, a dearth of information exists on the perceived benefits of volunteerism among low-income and ethnic minority older adults.

Purpose: To understand the perceived psychosocial benefits of volunteering in the Senior Companion Program and to present findings of focus groups conducted with urban-dwelling, low-income older adult women volunteers.

Care coordinator assistants: Job satisfaction and the importance of teamwork in delivering person-centered dementia care.

As the prevalence of persons with dementia increases, a larger, trained, and skilled healthcare workforce is needed. Attention has been given to models of person-centered care as a standard for dementia care. One promising role to deliver person-centered care is the care coordinator assistant.

Ongoing Medical Management to Maximize Health and Well-being for Persons Living With Dementia.

Background And Objectives: Persons living with dementia have complex care needs including memory loss that should be taken into account by providers and family caregivers involved with their care. The prevalence of comorbid conditions in people with dementia is high and, thus, how primary care, community providers and family caregivers provide best practice care, person-centered care is important.

Research Design And Methods: Care providers should understand the ongoing medical management needs of persons living with dementia in order to maximize their quality of life, proactively plan for their anticipated needs, and be as well prepared as possible for health crises that may occur.

Patient and Caregiver Assessment of the Benefits From the Clinical Use of Amyloid PET Imaging.

Introduction: Few studies to date have explored patient and caregiver views on the clinical use of amyloid positron emission tomography (PET).

Methods: A 7-item questionnaire assessing patient and caregiver views (510 total respondents) toward amyloid PET imaging was advertised broadly through alz.org/trialmatch.

Dementia care management in primary care : Current collaborative care models and the case for interprofessional education.

Background: Dementia is one of the most prevalent diseases in the older population. Various dementia care models have been developed to address patient's healthcare needs. They can be described as "collaborative care" or "person-centered care".

Targeting Functional Decline in Alzheimer Disease: A Randomized Trial.

Background: Alzheimer disease results in progressive functional decline, leading to loss of independence.

Objective: To determine whether collaborative care plus 2 years of home-based occupational therapy delays functional decline.

Design: Randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Response to depression treatment in the Aging Brain Care Medical Home model.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the Aging Brain Care (ABC) Medical Home program's depression module on patients' depression severity measurement over time.

Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: Public hospital system.

Satisfaction With a Family-Focused Intervention for Mild Cognitive Impairment Dyads.

Purpose: This article describes satisfaction that persons with mild cognitive impairment (PwMCI) and their caregivers had with the Daily Enhancement of Meaningful Activity (DEMA) intervention.

Methods: This randomized controlled pilot study compared satisfaction (usefulness, ease of use, and acceptability) with DEMA (n = 17 dyads) to an information support (IS) control group (n = 19 dyads). Six biweekly sessions (two in person and four by telephone) were delivered by trained nurses.

Feasibility and Effect Sizes of the Revised Daily Engagement of Meaningful Activities Intervention for Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Their Caregivers.

A nurse-led intervention, Daily Engagement of Meaningful Activities (DEMA), was evaluated for feasibility and effect sizes in a two-group randomized pilot study with 36 patient-caregiver dyads (17 DEMA and 19 attention control). Effect sizes were estimated on 10 outcomes: dyad functional ability awareness congruence; patients' meaningful activity performance and satisfaction, confidence, depressive symptoms, communication satisfaction, physical function, and life satisfaction; and caregivers' depressive symptoms and life changes. High feasibility of DEMA was supported by the following indicators: consent (97.

Workforce development to provide person-centered care.

Objectives: Describe the development of a competent workforce committed to providing patient-centered care to persons with dementia and/or depression and their caregivers; to report on qualitative analyses of our workforce's case reports about their experiences; and to present lessons learned about developing and implementing a collaborative care community-based model using our new workforce that we call care coordinator assistants (CCAs).

Method: Sixteen CCAs were recruited and trained in person-centered care, use of mobile office, electronic medical record system, community resources, and team member support. CCAs wrote case reports quarterly that were analyzed for patient-centered care themes.

The Aging Brain Care Medical Home: Preliminary Data.

The Aging Brain Care (ABC) Medical Home aims to improve the care, health outcomes, and medical costs of Medicare beneficiaries with dementia or depression across central Indiana. This population health management program, funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center, expanded an existing collaborative dementia and depression care program to serve 1,650 older adults in a local safety-net hospital system. During the first year, 20 full-time clinical staff were hired, trained, and deployed to deliver a collaborative care intervention.

Use of a multiparty web based videoconference support group for family caregivers: Innovative practice.

This article describes a pilot of a weekly web based videoconference support group for five caregivers of persons with dementia. All participants reported positive views of the group and videoconference medium. Improvements in caregiver anxiety, depression, and physical health scores were observed.

New workforce development in dementia care: screening for "caring": preliminary data.

The United States has a significant shortage of trained geriatricians and of nurses, social workers, and paraprofessionals educated to care for elderly adults. As the aging population continues to grow, providing high-quality care will require new models that better address the many needs of aging individuals and their caregivers, using cost-effective strategies. Responding to this need, the Indiana University Center for Aging Research implementation scientists developed, tested, and are now scaling up a successful collaborative care coordination model for older adults with dementia, depression, or both: the Aging Brain Care program.

Impact of Noncaregiving-Related Stressors on Informal Caregiver Outcomes.

Background: Caregivers of persons with dementia are stressed. Stressors not related to care recipients' needs impact caregiver outcomes, yet are seldom reported. The purpose of this study was to report the most stressful events experienced by spouse caregivers of older adults with Alzheimer s disease during a 6-month period.

Connecting research discovery with care delivery in dementia: the development of the Indianapolis Discovery Network for Dementia.

Background: The US Institute of Medicine has recommended an integrated, locally sensitive collaboration among the various members of the community, health care systems, and research organizations to improve dementia care and dementia research.

Methods: Using complex adaptive system theory and reflective adaptive process, we developed a professional network called the "Indianapolis Discovery Network for Dementia" (IDND). The IDND facilitates effective and sustainable interactions among a local and diverse group of dementia researchers, clinical providers, and community advocates interested in improving care for dementia patients in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Alzheimer's disease multiple intervention trial (ADMIT): study protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background: Given the current lack of disease-modifying therapies, it is important to explore new models of longitudinal care for older adults with dementia that focus on improving quality of life and delaying functional decline. In a previous clinical trial, we demonstrated that collaborative care for Alzheimer's disease reduces patients' neuropsychiatric symptoms as well as caregiver stress. However, these improvements in quality of life were not associated with delays in subjects' functional decline.

Frontotemporal dementia caregivers and researchers: partnering for brain donation.

This study utilized a community-based, participatory research model between the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) and the Education Core of the Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center. A total of 30 caregivers of persons with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) participated in 6 focus groups in 3 cities. The majority of participants were spouses of the person with FTD and had been providing care for an average of 6 years.

Caregiver and noncaregiver attitudes toward dementia screening.

Objectives: To compare attitudes toward dementia screening of older adults with and without an experience of dementia caregiving.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Setting: Primary care clinics in Indianapolis, Indiana.

A collaborative Alzheimer disease research exchange using a community-based Helpline as a recruitment tool.

Although barriers to research participation present challenges for researchers trying to recruit participants, community-based organizations typically have a relationship with and access to potential participants, but often lack information about local studies recruiting participants and/or specifics about studies, how to describe them and how to refer their clients to a study. Therefore, a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)model of collaboration may be a mutually advantageous option for recruiting participants to Alzheimer disease research. The broad goal of this study was to assess whether this void could be bridged and relationships developed between the Alzheimer's Association of Greater Indiana and researchers at the Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center, and improve flow of information to increase research participation to any or all of 4 projects recruiting research participants at the time.

Long term caregiving: helping families of persons with mild cognitive impairment cope.

The purpose of the paper is to describe common psychological and caregiving issues that can cause stress in family members of persons with mild cognitive impairment (PwMCI) in order to assist family members in providing care and support to the PwMCI while also caring for themselves over long periods of time. Because PwMCI and their family members have time to prepare for the future should the PwMCI no longer be able to participate in their own care, it is important that clinicians offer support, education, and referrals for services and interventions when needed. The results of a review and synthesis of the caregiving literature found that much information exists from educational and intervention programs designed to help caregivers of Alzheimer disease however little empirical information is available for clinicians to assist PwMCI and their family members.