Dementia and Cognitive Impairment
Topic Spotlight
About six million Americans currently have Alzheimer's disease. (CDC)
The number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease is expected to rise to 14 million by 2050. (CDC)
As many as 15 million family members and friends are providing unpaid care for patients with dementias. (Alzheimer's Association)
Study Results that Support Better-Informed Decisions
Outpatient Palliative Care for Parkinson’s Disease Shows Promise with Patients and Families
This project compared the effectiveness of team-based outpatient palliative care to current standards of care for people living with Parkinson’s disease. The palliative care intervention included quarterly visits with a team that included a neurologist, social worker, chaplain, and nurse who used checklists to assess and manage palliative care. The project team reported in JAMA Neurology that, compared to usual care that used a neurologist and primary care practitioner, patients receiving palliative care at six months had improvements in their quality of life, symptom control, grief, and advance care planning. Caregivers had improved anxiety and spiritual well-being at six months and reduced caregiving burden at 12 months. A related editorial calls palliative care “the next frontier” in treating Parkinson’s disease.
Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Study Spotlights
Improving Life for Women with Parkinson’s Disease
PCORI awardees, through a Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award, have built a national, prioritized research and care agenda for women with Parkinson’s disease.
Seeking to Delay Dementia with Behavioral Interventions
This study is comparing the effects of each of the five components of an intensive, multipronged behavioral intervention that is designed to delay or prevent onset of dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment.
Improving Dementia Care for Underserved People
This study is assessing a tool kit and training program to improve dementia patients’ safety and quality of life and to reduce inappropriate antipsychotic use.