Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic extend beyond the viral impact and include social and psychological effects of the ensuing lockdowns and restrictions. Australia's lengthy lockdowns present an opportunity to study changes in the physical and mental wellbeing of older adults resulting from extended social isolation, a known risk factor for dementia, in the absence of high infection or mortality rates.

Method: Sydney Memory and Ageing Study, Sydney Centenarian Study, and CogSCAN study participants were mailed questionnaires about in-person and remote social contact and access to resources during the 2020 Sydney lockdown.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: The Sustainable Personalised Interventions for Cognition, Care, and Engagement (SPICE) program was developed to address an identified gap in access to high-quality integrated post-diagnostic rehabilitation for people with dementia and their care partners in Canberra, Australia. The multicomponent intervention aims to maximise quality of life (QoL) and independence of people with dementia by increasing engagement in everyday and meaningful activities and promoting care partners' physical and mental well-being.

Method: The SPICE program is a waiting-list study design delivered by a multidisciplinary allied health team over twelve weeks.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Dementia is highly stigmatised, misperceived as a mental illness, and considered a normal part of ageing by people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in Australia. There is a lack of valid and reliable scale to measure their dementia attitudes. This study aimed to cross-culturally translate and validate a dementia attitudes scale in Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Greek communities as they represent the main languages spoken throughout Western Sydney, Australia.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Research on cognitive reserve (CR) in individuals aged 80 years old and above has resulted in inconsistent findings, mostly showing a relationship with baseline cognitive abilities but not follow up assessments. The effects of amyloid burden on the relationship between CR, cognitive decline and dementia in oldest old warrants further study in the presence of APOE e4. We hypothesised that CR in oldest old (≥80 yrs old) adults will result in different trajectories, depending on being amyloid PET positive or negative.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Australia has a rich migration history, with one in three older people coming from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background. Patients from CALD backgrounds tend to present at later stages of their diseases but face difficulties accessing appropriate dementia care compared to English-speaking patients. Limited literature exists on the clinical experience among CALD patients who have been historically underrepresented in dementia research.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Although primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is considered a rarer form of dementia, individuals living with PPA are increasingly identified by healthcare professionals. Research investigating speech-language assessment and intervention in PPA has been conducted primarily in monolingual speakers and little is known about clinical decision-making of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with bilinguals with PPA.

Methods: A comprehensive survey containing questions regarding clinician confidence, prioritization, and ratings of basic competency for Volkmer, Cartwright, Ruggero et al.

Dementia Care Practice.

Background: Guidelines that provide current and comprehensive overviews of the evidence quality and effectiveness of interventions that address behaviours and psychological symptoms associated with dementia (BPSD, also known as Changed Behaviours) are needed for clinicians, professional care staff and family care partners. With funding provided by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, we aimed to update the existing Behaviour Management: A Guide to Good Practice, Managing Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (2012) text and app resources to reflect findings from the most recent literature and other sources.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO for psychosocial and environmental and biological and pharmacological interventions published between 2012-2021 that addressed BPSD.

Dementia Care Practice.

People living with dementia have a range of functional, physical, cognitive, and behaviour needs. Reablement (and/or 'rehabilitation') is an important multidisciplinary approach, such as using occupational therapy and exercise, to address each person's needs. People with dementia in Australia are being referred to community aged care teams for everyday living support, and an evidence-informed reablement handbook is freely available (www.

Dementia Care Practice.

Background: The ADI Accreditation Programme, launched in December 2020, aims to support all Alzheimer and dementia associations and other organizations, in improving care for people living with dementia. By providing a standards-based approach to knowledge and skills, ADI establishes benchmarks that program providers must adhere to. Successful completion of an evaluation allows carers, trainers & program providers to earn ADI Accreditation, indicating that they have reached the required global standard for their training and learning activities, including culturally appropriate context to improve care quality.

Three-Month Polysubstance Use Patterns Among People Enrolled in Outpatient Treatment for Methamphetamine Use.

Background: Polysubstance use is common among people who use methamphetamine. This prospective study examined the three-month polysubstance use profiles among people enrolled in outpatient treatment for methamphetamine use and associated substance use, mental health, and treatment correlates.

Method: The present study used routinely collected client-reported outcome measures data from  = 1,507 clients enrolled in outpatient treatment who reported methamphetamine as their primary drug of concern ( = 34.

Dementia Care Practice.

Dementia is a global public health challenge, impacting > 55 million individuals worldwide. However, widespread dissemination of efficacious non-pharmacologic interventions remains limited. A key implementation barrier is workforce preparation and support for healthcare professionals (HPs) and administrators when being trained in, implementing, and sustaining programs.

Dementia Care Practice.

Background: One in four persons living with dementia are admitted to hospital, presenting challenges to them, their carers and staff. Despite global evidence demonstrating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of person-centered care (PCC), it is not yet business as usual across healthcare settings. We used multi-level stakeholder input to implement Kitwood's PCC model into a sub-acute setting.

Technology and Dementia Preconference.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition, with considerable variation in disease progression from the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage. Predicting disease progression will support prognostic decisions and patient management. Here we designed a machine learning (ML) stack model, where a classifier was used to differentiate MCI progressors from non-progressors (i.

Technology and Dementia Preconference.

Background: MATCH (Music Attuned Technology - Care via eHealth) is a music and health application that supports caregivers of people living with dementia to use music strategically to better manage care through virtual training and intuitive music technology. This study trialled a prototype version of the MATCH app with family caregivers and people with dementia residing in the community.

Method: 16 Dyads trialled the prototype MATCH app.

Life after Pelvic Exenteration for Rectal Cancer: The Patient and Carer Perspective on Long Term Consequences and Survivorship.

Objective: To explore the perspectives and experiences of patients and carers living with the long-term consequences of pelvic exenteration.

Summary Background Data: Pelvic exenteration is accepted as the standard of care for selected patients with locally advanced or recurrent rectal cancer. With contemporary 5-year survival reported at 40-60%, the number of long-term survivors is expected to increase.

Technology and Dementia Preconference.

Background: We have co-produced with carers of people with dementia (hereafter carers) a culturally tailored iSupport Virtual Assistant (VA), namely e-DiVA, to support English-, Bahasa- and Vietnamese-speaking carers in Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Vietnam. The presented research reports qualitative findings from the e-DiVA user-testing study.

Method: Family carers and healthcare professionals working in the field of dementia care were given the e-DiVA to use on their smartphone or handheld device for 1-2 weeks.

Small-angle neutron scattering differentiates molecular-level structural models of nanoparticle interfaces.

The highly anisotropic and nonadditive nature of nanoparticle surfaces restricts their characterization by limited types of techniques that can reach atomic or molecular resolution. While small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is a unique tool for analyzing complex systems, it has been traditionally considered a low-resolution method due to its limited scattering vector range and wide wavelength spread. In this article, we present a novel perspective on SANS by showcasing its exceptional capability to provide molecular-level insights into nanoparticle interfaces.

Technology and Dementia Preconference.

Background: Digital mobility outcomes (DMOs) can be captured using body-worn inertial measurement units (IMUs) in lab-based and real-world environments. DMOs may support differential diagnosis of dementia; for example, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Lewy body disease (LBD) show unique signatures of gait impairment. Growing evidence suggests that turning impairments are related to cognitive decline.

Technology and Dementia Preconference.

Background: The success of therapeutic options for treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the growing emphasis for such treatment to commence in the pre-clinical phase makes it necessary to have robust empirical models of clinical disease progression to understand findings from clinical trials, allow clinicians to evaluate effects of new drugs, and to select individuals for future trials. Such models have been developed from relatively small samples, with incomplete data/substantial loss to follow-up. The ADOPIC consortium provides the largest complete AD natural history sample to date.

Effects and mechanisms of computerized cognitive training in Huntington's disease: protocol for a pilot study.

Huntington's disease (HD) causes progressive cognitive decline, with no available treatments. Computerized cognitive training (CCT) has shown efficacy in other populations, but its effects in HD are largely unknown. This pilot study will explore the effects and neural mechanisms of CCT in HD.

Cardiovascular, kidney and safety outcomes with canagliflozin in older adults: A combined analysis from the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial.

Aim: SGLT2 inhibitors may be underused in older adults with type 2 diabetes due to concerns about safety and tolerability. This pooled analysis of the CANVAS Program and CREDENCE trial examined the efficacy and safety of canagliflozin according to age.

Methods: Pooled individual participant data from the CANVAS Program (n = 10 142) and CREDENCE trial (n = 4401) were analysed by baseline age (<65 years, 65 to <75 years, and ≥75 years).