Introduction: High use of psychotropic medications continues to be common in residential aged care homes despite the risk of harm and limited efficacy in people living with dementia. Research has shown that the organizational culture of aged care homes influences psychotropic medication use in residents with dementia. The Psychotropic medicines use in Residents And Culture: Influencing Clinical Excellence (PRACTICE) tool was developed to evaluate the organizational culture of aged care homes specific to the use of psychotropic medications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the right of individuals with dementia and their family caregivers to access interventions that enhance their participation in society. Reablement is an approach that enables older people to participate in meaningful daily and social activities. Over the past decade, a growing body of evidence has underscored reablement as a promising approach within dementia care, including positive outcomes for people with dementia and their family caregivers, and cost-effectiveness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe concept of social health has recently received increasing attention in dementia research. Various notions of what social health is and how it can be measured are circulating. They may pose challenges for comparing results and interpreting them for the development of interventions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The health issues experienced by older people can often be severe and complex, and an increasing number are using residential aged care services to meet their care needs. High-quality nursing care is fundamental to the health and safety of aged care residents and is contingent on nurses' accurate assessment, informed decision-making, and delivery of timely interventions. However, the role of the aged care nurse is often challenging, impeded by factors such as understaffing, high workloads, and a lack of access to clinical infrastructure and resources.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Major knowledge and practice gaps exist in aged care home services to support independence of older people with dementia. This research evaluates an adaptation of a community-based rehabilitation model for care homes, namely Interdisciplinary Care Home-bAsed Reablement Program (I-CHARP), by examining whether (and, if so, how) I-CHARP produces its intended effects and how this programme can be practicably implemented, sustained and scaled up across care homes in Australia.
Methods: I-CHARP is a 4-month bio-behavioural-environmental rehabilitation model of care, integrated in care home services, supported through the deployment of an implementation strategy, the Research Enabled Aged Care Homes (REACH) network.
Objectives: To identify the prevalence of and factors associated with medication use in people living with dementia in the community.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using baseline data from a randomised controlled trial known as the Interdisciplinary Home-bAsed Reablement Program (I-HARP) between 2018 and 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Participants included people with mild-moderate dementia and their carers.
Lancet Reg Health West Pac
September 2024
Lancet Reg Health West Pac
September 2024
The aim of this study was to examine the association of sex/gender and other factors with the perceived helpfulness of the diagnostic process and post-diagnostic services by persons with dementia and care partners. We conducted secondary cross-sectional analysis of surveys from the 'Cognisance' project. Sex/gender and other factors (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To estimate the national prevalence of antidementia and psychotropic medication use, and sociodemographic factors associated with their use, in Australians living with dementia.
Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.
Setting And Participants: Nationwide data linkage study using 2021 Census and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) data.
Objectives: This explorative cross-country qualitative study aims to describe experiences of receiving a dementia diagnosis and experiences of support following a diagnosis in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Poland.
Method: Qualitative study using projective techniques during online focus groups, online and telephone interviews with people with dementia and caregivers.
Results: Twenty-three people with dementia and 53 caregivers participated.
Purpose: The Carer Assessment of medicaTion management guidanCe for people with dementia at Hospital discharge (CATCH) tool was developed to examine the carer's experiences of medication management guidance delivery at discharge. This study explored its factor structure, characterized carers' experiences at discharge, and identified predictors of carer preparedness to manage medications at discharge.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey of carers across Australia was distributed.
Background And Objectives: Personal care interactions can provide vital opportunities for caregivers to engage with a person living with advanced dementia. However, interactions may also be a contentious experience, what makes this so is not fully understood. We aimed to examine features of personal care interactions between caregivers and people with advanced dementia to understand how care may be improved.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Forward with Dementia is a co-designed campaign to improve communication of dementia diagnosis and post-diagnostic support.
Methods: Webinars, a website, social and traditional media, and promotions through project partners were used to disseminate campaign messages to health and social care professionals (primary audience) and people with dementia and carers (secondary audience). The campaign ran between October 2021 and June 2022, with 3-months follow-up.
Objectives: To describe the development and use of an Evidence to Decision (EtD) framework when formulating recommendations for the Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for Deprescribing Opioid Analgesics.
Study Design And Setting: Evidence was derived from an overview of systematic reviews and qualitative studies conducted with healthcare professionals and people who take opioids for pain. A multidisciplinary guideline development group conducted extensive EtD framework review and iterative refinement to ensure that guideline recommendations captured contextual factors relevant to the guideline target setting and audience.
Objectives: To examine factors contributing to delaying care home admission; and compare the rates of care home admission and cost consequence between two government subsidised programmes, Veterans' Affairs Community Nursing (VCN) and Home Care Package (HCP).
Methods: Our national, population-based retrospective cohort study and cost analysis used existing, de-identified veterans' claims databases (2010-19) and the Registry of Senior Australians Historical Cohort (2010-17), plus aggregate programme expenditure data. This involved 21,636 VCN clients (20,980 aged 65-100 years), and an age- and sex-matched HCP cohort (N = 20,980).
Introduction: Psychosocial dementia interventions may be less effective when used with populations for whom they were not initially intended. Cultural adaptation of interventions aims to increase effectiveness of interventions by enhancing cultural relevance. Use of theoretical frameworks may promote more systematic cultural adaptation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Long term opioids are commonly prescribed to manage pain. Dose reduction or discontinuation (deprescribing) can be challenging, even when the potential harms of continuation outweigh the perceived benefits. The Evidence-based clinical practice guideline for deprescribing opioid analgesics was developed using robust guideline development processes and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology, and contains deprescribing recommendations for adults prescribed opioids for pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The study aims to describe people with dementia and informal caregivers' respective experiences of support after diagnosis and compares these experiences. Additionally, we determine how people with dementia and informal caregivers who are satisfied with support differ from those dissatisfied.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey study in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Poland, and United Kingdom was carried out to examine people with dementia and informal caregivers experience with support (satisfaction with information, access to care, health literacy, and confidence in ability to live well with dementia).
Objectives: This study aims to explore the journey to dementia diagnosis and reaction to the diagnosis from the perspective of people with young-onset dementia living in the community from diverse areas in Australia (metropolitan, regional, rural) and their family caregivers.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with community-dwelling people with early to moderate young-onset Alzheimer's disease ( = 8) or frontotemporal dementia ( = 5) and one person with both Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, and family caregivers of community-dwelling people with young-onset Alzheimer's disease and/or frontotemporal dementia ( = 28). This study employed interpretive description.
Purpose: This study explores the usability, usefulness and user experience of the Forward with Dementia website for people with dementia and family carers, and identifies strategies to improve web design for this population.
Methods: The website was iteratively user-tested by 12 participants (five people with dementia, seven carers) using the Zoom platform. Data collection involved observations, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires.