Journal Articles

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    Multi-modal sleep intervention for community-dwelling people living with dementia and primary caregiver dyads with sleep disturbance: protocol of a single-arm feasibility trial
    (PeerJ Inc., 2023-01-01) Verma S; Varma P; Brown A; Bei B; Gibson R; Valenta T; Pietsch A; Cavuoto M; Woodward M; McCurry S; Jackson ML; Keogh J
    Background. Disturbed sleep is common among people living with dementia and their informal caregivers, and is associated with negative health outcomes. Dyadic, multi-modal interventions targeting caregiver and care-recipient sleep have been recommended yet remain limited. This protocol details the development of a singlearm feasibility trial of a multi-modal, therapist-led, six-week intervention targeting sleep disturbance in dyads of people living with dementia and their primary caregiver. Methods. We aim to recruit 24 co-residing, community-dwelling dyads of people living with dementia and their primary informal caregiver (n D 48) with sleep concerns (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ≥5 for caregivers, and caregiver-endorsed sleep concerns for the person living with dementia). People who live in residential care settings, are employed in night shift work, or are diagnosed with current, severe mental health conditions or narcolepsy, will be excluded. Participants will wear an actigraph and complete sleep diaries for two weeks prior, and during the last two weeks, of active intervention. The intervention is therapist-led and includes a mix of weekly small group video sessions and personalised, dyadic sessions (up to 90 min each) over six weeks. Sessions are supported by a 37-page workbook offering strategies and spaces for reflections/notes. Primary feasibility outcomes are caregiver: session attendance, attrition, and self-reported project satisfaction. Secondary outcomes include dyadic self-reported and objectively-assessed sleep, depression and anxiety symptoms, quality of life, and social support. Self-report outcomes will be assessed at pre- and postintervention. Discussion. If feasible, this intervention could be tested in a larger randomised controlled trial to investigate its efficacy, and, upon further testing, may potentially represent a non-pharmacological approach to reduce sleep disturbance among people living with dementia and their caregivers.
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    Improving continence management for people with dementia in the community in Aotearoa, New Zealand: Protocol for a mixed methods study.
    (Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2023-07-18) Burholt V; Peri K; Awatere S; Balmer D; Cheung G; Daltrey J; Fearn J; Gibson R; Kerse N; Lawrence AM; Moeke-Maxwell T; Munro E; Orton Y; Pillai A; Riki A; Williams LA; Harding A
    BACKGROUND: The number of people living with dementia (PLWD) in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) was estimated at 96,713 in 2020 and it is anticipated that this number will increase to 167,483 by 2050, including an estimated 12,039 Māori (indigenous people of NZ) with dementia. Experiencing urinary incontinence (UI) or faecal incontinence (FI) is common for PLWD, particularly at the later stages of the disease. However, there is no robust estimate for either prevalence or incidence of UI or FI for PLWD in NZ. Although caregivers rate independent toilet use as the most important activity of daily living to be preserved, continence care for PLWD in the community is currently not systematised and there is no structured care pathway. The evidence to guide continence practice is limited, and more needs to be known about caregiving and promoting continence and managing incontinence for PLWD in the community. This project will seek to understand the extent of the challenge and current practices of health professionals, PLWD, caregivers and family; identify promising strategies; co-develop culturally appropriate guidelines and support materials to improve outcomes; and identify appropriate quality indicators so that good continence care can be measured in future interventions. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A four-phase mixed methods study will be delivered over three years: three phases will run concurrently, followed by a fourth transformative sequential phase. Phase 1 will identify the prevalence and incidence of incontinence for PLWD in the community using a cohort study from standardised home care interRAI assessments. Phase 2 will explore continence management for PLWD in the community through a review of clinical policies and guidance from publicly funded continence services, and qualitative focus group interviews with health professionals. Phase 3 will explore experiences, strategies, impact and consequences of promoting continence and managing incontinence for PLWD in the community through secondary data analysis of an existing carers' study, and collecting new cross-sectional and longitudinal qualitative data from Māori and non-Māori PLWD and their caregivers. In Phase 4, two adapted 3-stage Delphi processes will be used to co-produce clinical guidelines and a core outcome set, while a series of workshops will be used to co-produce caregiver resources.
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    Lifestyle and incident dementia: A COSMIC individual participant data meta-analysis
    (Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association, 2024-06-16) Van Asbroeck S; Köhler S; van Boxtel MPJ; Lipnicki DM; Crawford JD; Castro-Costa E; Lima-Costa MF; Blay SL; Shifu X; Wang T; Yue L; Lipton RB; Katz MJ; Derby CA; Guerchet M; Preux P-M; Mbelesso P; Norton J; Ritchie K; Skoog I; Najar J; Sterner TR; Scarmeas N; Yannakoulia M; Dardiotis T; Rolandi E; Davin A; Rossi M; Gureje O; Ojagbemi A; Bello T; Kim KW; Han JW; Oh DJ; Trompet S; Gussekloo J; Riedel-Heller SG; Röhr S; Pabst A; Shahar S; Rivan NFM; Singh DKA; Jacobsen E; Ganguli M; Hughes T; Haan M; Aiello AE; Ding D; Zhao Q; Xiao Z; Narazaki K; Chen T; Chen S; Ng TP; Gwee X; Gao Q; Brodaty H; Trollor J; Kochan N; Lobo A; Santabárbara J; Gracia-Garcia P; Sachdev PS; Deckers K; for Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC)
    INTRODUCTION: The LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) index yields a dementia risk score based on modifiable lifestyle factors and is validated in Western samples. We investigated whether the association between LIBRA scores and incident dementia is moderated by geographical location or sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: We combined data from 21 prospective cohorts across six continents (N = 31,680) and conducted cohort-specific Cox proportional hazard regression analyses in a two-step individual participant data meta-analysis. RESULTS: A one-standard-deviation increase in LIBRA score was associated with a 21% higher risk for dementia. The association was stronger for Asian cohorts compared to European cohorts, and for individuals aged ≤75 years (vs older), though only within the first 5 years of follow-up. No interactions with sex, education, or socioeconomic position were observed. DISCUSSION: Modifiable risk and protective factors appear relevant for dementia risk reduction across diverse geographical and sociodemographic groups. HIGHLIGHTS: - A two-step individual participant data meta-analysis was conducted. - This was done at a global scale using data from 21 ethno-regionally diverse cohorts. - The association between a modifiable dementia risk score and dementia was examined. - The association was modified by geographical region and age at baseline. - Yet, modifiable dementia risk and protective factors appear relevant in all investigated groups and regions.
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    Lifestyle for brain health and cognitive functioning in midlife to early late-life New Zealanders: Utility of the LIBRA index.
    (John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2024-05-01) Röhr S; Stephens C; Alpass F
    OBJECTIVES: There is enormous potential to improve brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia based on modifiable risk factors. The Lifestyle for Brain Health (LIBRA) index was developed to quantify modifiable dementia risk or room for brain health improvement. The objective of the study was to investigate the utility of the LIBRA index in relation to cognitive functioning in a midlife to early late-life sample of New Zealanders. METHODS: A subsample (n = 1001) of the longitudinal New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement (NZHWR) study completed face-to-face cognitive assessments using the 'Kiwi' Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) in 2010 and again in 2012, in addition to completing biennial NZHWR surveys on socioeconomic, health and wellbeing aspects. The LIBRA index was calculated incorporating information on 8 out of 12 modifiable health and lifestyle factors for dementia. Unadjusted and adjusted regression models and mixed effects models were used to inspect associations of LIBRA with cognitive functioning, cognitive impairment, and cognitive decline. RESULTS: The analytical sample (n = 881 [88.0%], after considering exclusion criteria and missing data) had a mean age of 63.1 (SD = 6.5) years, 53.3% were female, 26.2% were Māori, and 61.7% were highly educated. Higher LIBRA scores (indicating higher modifiable dementia risk) were associated with lower cognitive functioning (B = -0.33, 95% CI = -0.52;-0.15, p < 0.001) and a higher likelihood of cognitive impairment (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.04; 1.42, p = 0.013), but did not predict cognitive decline over 2 years (B = -0.03, 95% CI = -0.22; 0.16, p = 0.766), adjusted for age, age2, gender, education, and ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: The LIBRA index indicated promising utility for quantifying modifiable dementia risk in midlife and early late-life New Zealanders. For local use, refinement of the LIBRA index should consider cultural differences in health and lifestyle risk factors, and further investigate its utility with a wider range of modifiable factors over a longer observation period.
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    A multidomain intervention against cognitive decline in an at-risk-population in Germany: Results from the cluster-randomized AgeWell.de trial.
    (John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2024-01-01) Zülke AE; Pabst A; Luppa M; Roehr S; Seidling H; Oey A; Cardona MI; Blotenberg I; Bauer A; Weise S; Zöllinger I; Sanftenberg L; Brettschneider C; Döhring J; Lunden L; Czock D; Haefeli WE; Wiese B; Hoffmann W; Frese T; Gensichen J; König H-H; Kaduszkiewicz H; Thyrian JR; Riedel-Heller SG
    INTRODUCTION: We investigated the effectiveness of a multidomain intervention to preserve cognitive function in older adults at risk for dementia in Germany in a cluster-randomized trial. METHODS: Individuals with a Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia (CAIDE) risk score ≥ 9 aged 60 to 77 years were recruited. After randomization of their general practitioner (GP), patients received a multidomain intervention (including optimization of nutrition and medication, and physical, social, and cognitive activity) or general health advice and GP treatment as usual over 24 months. Primary outcome was global cognitive performance (composite z score, based on domain-specific neuropsychological tests). RESULTS: Of 1030 participants at baseline, n = 819 completed the 24-month follow-up assessment. No differences regarding global cognitive performance (average marginal effect = 0.010, 95% confidence interval: -0.113, 0.133) were found between groups at follow-up. Perceived restrictions in intervention conduct by the COVID-19 pandemic did not impact intervention effectiveness. DISCUSSION: The intervention did not improve global cognitive performance. HIGHLIGHTS: Overall, no intervention effects on global cognitive performance were detected. The multidomain intervention improved health-related quality of life in the total sample. In women, the multidomain intervention reduced depressive symptoms. The intervention was completed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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    Exploring older care recipients' sleep status as a predictor for informal carer distress: evidence from New Zealand's interRAI home care assessment data.
    (BMJ Publishing Group, 2023-10-24) Gibson R; Abey-Nesbit R; Gander P; Parsons M
    OBJECTIVES: Understanding factors affecting informal carers' well-being is important to support healthy ageing at home. Sleep disturbances of care recipients are increasingly recognised as affecting the well-being of both parties. This research assesses the relationship between indicators of care recipients' sleep status and carer distress, as well as carer distress with subsequent admission to residential aged care, using prospectively collected Home Care International Residential Assessment Instrument (interRAI-HC) assessment data. PARTICIPANTS: Data were sourced from 127 832 assessments conducted between 2012 and 2019 for people aged 55 years or older who had support from at least one informal carer. The majority (59.4%) of care recipients were female and 59.1% were defined as having cognitive impairment or dementia (CIoD). SETTING: New Zealand. DESIGN: Logistic regression modelling was used to assess the independent relationships between indicators of care recipients' sleep status (difficulty sleeping and fatigue) and primary caregivers' distress (feeling overwhelmed or distressed). Kaplan meier curves illustrated the subsequent relationship between caregiver distress and care recipients' transitions to aged residential care. RESULTS: Care recipients' sleeping difficulty (32.4%) and moderate-severe fatigue (46.6%) were independently associated with caregiver distress after controlling for key demographic and health factors included in the assessment. Distress was reported by 39.9% of informal caregivers and was three times more likely among those supporting someone with a CIoD. Caregiver distress was significantly associated with care recipients' earlier admission into aged residential care. CONCLUSIONS: Indicators of sleep disturbance among care recipients are associated with increased likelihood of carer distress. This has implications for managing the overall home-care situation and long-term care needs, as well as the well-being of both parties. Findings will inform research and development of measures, services and interventions to improve the sleep and waking health of older people, including those with CIoD and family caregivers.
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    Use of Antihypertensives, Blood Pressure, and Estimated Risk of Dementia in Late Life: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis.
    (American Medical Association, 2023-09-12) Lennon MJ; Lam BCP; Lipnicki DM; Crawford JD; Peters R; Schutte AE; Brodaty H; Thalamuthu A; Rydberg-Sterner T; Najar J; Skoog I; Riedel-Heller SG; Röhr S; Pabst A; Lobo A; De-la-Cámara C; Lobo E; Bello T; Gureje O; Ojagbemi A; Lipton RB; Katz MJ; Derby CA; Kim KW; Han JW; Oh DJ; Rolandi E; Davin A; Rossi M; Scarmeas N; Yannakoulia M; Dardiotis T; Hendrie HC; Gao S; Carrière I; Ritchie K; Anstey KJ; Cherbuin N; Xiao S; Yue L; Li W; Guerchet MM; Preux P-M; Aboyans V; Haan MN; Aiello AE; Ng TP; Nyunt MSZ; Gao Q; Scazufca M; Sachdev PSS
    IMPORTANCE: The utility of antihypertensives and ideal blood pressure (BP) for dementia prevention in late life remains unclear and highly contested. OBJECTIVES: To assess the associations of hypertension history, antihypertensive use, and baseline measured BP in late life (age >60 years) with dementia and the moderating factors of age, sex, and racial group. DATA SOURCE AND STUDY SELECTION: Longitudinal, population-based studies of aging participating in the Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC) group were included. Participants were individuals without dementia at baseline aged 60 to 110 years and were based in 15 different countries (US, Brazil, Australia, China, Korea, Singapore, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, and Greece). DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Participants were grouped in 3 categories based on previous diagnosis of hypertension and baseline antihypertensive use: healthy controls, treated hypertension, and untreated hypertension. Baseline systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were treated as continuous variables. Reporting followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Individual Participant Data reporting guidelines. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The key outcome was all-cause dementia. Mixed-effects Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the associations between the exposures and the key outcome variable. The association between dementia and baseline BP was modeled using nonlinear natural splines. The main analysis was a partially adjusted Cox proportional hazards model controlling for age, age squared, sex, education, racial group, and a random effect for study. Sensitivity analyses included a fully adjusted analysis, a restricted analysis of those individuals with more than 5 years of follow-up data, and models examining the moderating factors of age, sex, and racial group. RESULTS: The analysis included 17 studies with 34 519 community dwelling older adults (20 160 [58.4%] female) with a mean (SD) age of 72.5 (7.5) years and a mean (SD) follow-up of 4.3 (4.3) years. In the main, partially adjusted analysis including 14 studies, individuals with untreated hypertension had a 42% increased risk of dementia compared with healthy controls (hazard ratio [HR], 1.42; 95% CI 1.15-1.76; P = .001) and 26% increased risk compared with individuals with treated hypertension (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.03-1.53; P = .02). Individuals with treated hypertension had no significant increased dementia risk compared with healthy controls (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.99-1.28; P = .07). The association of antihypertensive use or hypertension status with dementia did not vary with baseline BP. There was no significant association of baseline SBP or DBP with dementia risk in any of the analyses. There were no significant interactions with age, sex, or racial group for any of the analyses. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This individual patient data meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies found that antihypertensive use was associated with decreased dementia risk compared with individuals with untreated hypertension through all ages in late life. Individuals with treated hypertension had no increased risk of dementia compared with healthy controls.
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    Social connections and risk of incident mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and mortality in 13 longitudinal cohort studies of ageing.
    (Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer’s Association., 2023-11) Mahalingam G; Samtani S; Lam BCP; Lipnicki DM; Lima-Costa MF; Blay SL; Castro-Costa E; Shifu X; Guerchet M; Preux P-M; Gbessemehlan A; Skoog I; Najar J; Sterner TR; Scarmeas N; Yannakoulia M; Dardiotis T; Kim K-W; Riedel-Heller S; Röhr S; Pabst A; Shahar S; Numbers K; Ganguli M; Hughes TF; Chang C-CH; Crowe M; Ng TP; Gwee X; Chua DQL; Rymaszewska J; Wolf-Ostermann K; Welmer A-K; Stafford J; Mélis R; Vernooij-Dassen M; Jeon Y-H; Sachdev PS; Brodaty H; SHARED consortium for the Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC)
    INTRODUCTION: Previous meta-analyses have linked social connections and mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and mortality. However, these used aggregate data from North America and Europe and examined a limited number of social connection markers. METHODS: We used individual participant data (N = 39271, Mage  = 70.67 (40-102), 58.86% female, Meducation  = 8.43 years, Mfollow-up  = 3.22 years) from 13 longitudinal ageing studies. A two-stage meta-analysis of Cox regression models examined the association between social connection markers with our primary outcomes. RESULTS: We found associations between good social connections structure and quality and lower risk of incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI); between social structure and function and lower risk of incident dementia and mortality. Only in Asian cohorts, being married/in a relationship was associated with reduced risk of dementia, and having a confidante was associated with reduced risk of dementia and mortality. DISCUSSION: Different aspects of social connections - structure, function, and quality - are associated with benefits for healthy aging internationally. HIGHLIGHTS: Social connection structure (being married/in a relationship, weekly community group engagement, weekly family/friend interactions) and quality (never lonely) were associated with lower risk of incident MCI. Social connection structure (monthly/weekly friend/family interactions) and function (having a confidante) were associated with lower risk of incident dementia. Social connection structure (living with others, yearly/monthly/weekly community group engagement) and function (having a confidante) were associated with lower risk of mortality. Evidence from 13 longitudinal cohort studies of ageing indicates that social connections are important targets for reducing risk of incident MCI, incident dementia, and mortality. Only in Asian cohorts, being married/in a relationship was associated with reduced risk of dementia, and having a confidante was associated with reduced risk of dementia and mortality. Highlights Social connection structure (being married/in a relationship, weekly community group engagement, weekly family/friend interactions) and quality (never lonely) were associated with lower risk of incident MCI. Social connection structure (monthly/weekly friend/family interactions) and function (having a confidante) were associated with lower risk of incident dementia. Social connection structure (living with others, yearly/monthly/weekly community group engagement) and function (having a confidante) were associated with lower risk of mortality. Evidence from 13 longitudinal cohort studies of ageing indicates that social connections are important targets for reducing risk of incident MCI, incident dementia, and mortality. Only in Asian cohorts, being married/in a relationship was associated with reduced risk of dementia, and having a confidante was associated with reduced risk of dementia and mortality.
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    Beneficial and Impeding Factors for the Implementation of Health-Promoting Lifestyle Interventions-A Gender-Specific Focus Group Study.
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2023-02-16) Wittmann FG; Zülke A; Schultz A; Claus M; Röhr S; Luppa M; Riedel-Heller SG; Tchounwou PB
    (1) Background: The prevalence of dementia increases and so does the number of interventions that address modifiable risk factors for dementia. Recent evidence suggests that there are gender differences in the prevalence of those lifestyle factors as well as in the effectiveness of interventions. This study aims to identify differences in factors that benefit or hinder the effectiveness of interventions since a target group's perspective gets more relevant. (2) Methods: Two focus groups, a female (n = 11) and a male (n = 8) group, were interviewed, audio recorded and transcribed. Qualitative analyses were performed and main- and subcategories were identified. (3) Results: Main differences were observed including aspects of lifestyle changes (e.g., respective diet and importance of an active lifestyle) and gender-typical behavior and perception by relevant healthcare actors. (4) Conclusions: Identified differences might help to address and raise the efficiency of lifestyle interventions. Further, the importance of social aspects and retirement as an auspicious moment to start interventions were identified as relevant by study participants.
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    "It's Just [Complicated] Sleep": Discourses of Sleep and Aging in the Media.
    (Oxford University Press, 2023-12) Breheny M; Ross I; Ladyman C; Signal L; Dew K; Gibson R
    The media are influential in shaping beliefs and attitudes on aging and health-related behaviors. Sleep is increasingly recognized as a key pillar for healthy aging. However, the role of media representations of sleep is yet to be assessed with regard to discourses of aging. Texts from New Zealand's main free online news source were collated using key words "sleep" together with "aging," "older," "elderly," or "dementia" between 2018 and 2021. Contents of 38 articles were interpreted using critical discourse analysis. Discursive constructions described an inevitable decline of sleep with aging, including impacts of both physiological decline and life stage transitions; sleep's role as both a remedy and risk for ill health and disease; and the simplification of solutions for self-managing sleep juxtaposed alongside recognition of its complexity. The audience of these complex messages is left in the invidious position of both pursuing sleep practices to prevent age-related decline, whilst also being told that sleep degradation is inevitable. This research demonstrates the complexity of media messaging and the fraught options it offers: good sleep as both a reasonable achievement to strive for and as impossibly idealistic. Findings mirror two predominant health identities available to older people, as responsible for resisting aging or as falling into inevitable decline. This reveals additional expectations around appropriate time use and behaviors with aging. More nuanced messaging that goes beyond sleep as a resource for health and waking productivity is recommended. Acknowledging the complexity of sleep, aging, and society could be the starting point of such adaptation.