Pharmacological therapies for dementia have been developed but have limited efficacy and significant side effects. Thus, it is important to identify and provide recommendations on non-pharmacological interventions on individual and community levels for persons living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers to help them live well with dementia.
Our objectives were to identify non-pharmacological interventions, at individual and community levels, for community-dwelling PLWD and caregivers, and to determine recommendations. For the first time in the Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia (CCCDTD), non-pharmacological interventions have been included and involved PLWD and caregivers.
We conducted a systematic review of reviews and rated recommendations using GRADE. Then, we used a Delphi process with more than 50 Canadian dementia experts representing PLWD and their caregivers, family physicians, other healthcare professional, researchers, and policy makers to obtain consensus on final recommendations.
Twenty-two reviews were included. Five recommendations were approved by expert consensus:
- Recommendations at the individual level: Either group or individual physical exercise is recommended for PLWD as well as considering group cognitive stimulation therapy for persons living with mild to moderate dementia. For caregivers, psychosocial and psychoeducational interventions should be considered.
- Recommendations at the community level: The development of dementia friendly organizations and communities is advised as well as the use of case management for PLWD.
We will develop additional recommendations for the sixth iteration of CCCDTD.
Presenter:
Isabelle Vedel. MD, PhD. McGill University
Dr. Isabelle Vedel is a public health physician and an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University. She is also an investigator at the Lady Davis Institute at Sir Mortimer B. Davis – Jewish General Hospital. She did her post-doctoral fellowship in health service research in chronic disease management (health care services organization, health management, information technology) at McGill University (2012) and has received an investigator award from the Canadian Institute of Health Research and a Dawson Scholar.
Dr. Isabelle Vedel’s research interests are mainly in health care organization and primary health care services for persons with multiple chronic diseases and older patients. Her research work focuses on health services research in chronic disease management, particularly Alzheimer’s or related disorders.
This integrated KTE webinar event is brought to you by brainXchange in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Canada and the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA).
