Willingness to adhere to current UK low-risk alcohol guidelines to potentially reduce dementia risk: A national survey of people aged 50 and over

BACKGROUND: People over 50 are increasing their alcohol intake, potentially increasing their risk of dementia. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates whether people would be willing to adhere to current United Kingdom (UK, "low-risk") alcohol guidelines to reduce dementia risk. METHODS: A national cross-sectional online survey recruited a non-probabilistic sample of 3,948 individuals aged 50 and over without dementia in the UK. Self-reported willingness to comply with low-risk guidelines was predicted using logistic regression. Other relevant self-reported variables included physical health, lifestyle, and current alcohol intake. RESULTS: Majority of the sample (90%, n = 3,527) reported drinking alcohol at least once a month with 23% (n = 795) exceeding the low-risk guidelines (> 14 units per week). A larger proportion of men, those who were overweight, and people without a partner reported drinking above the recommended level. Most people who consumed alcohol (n = 2,934; 74.3%) appeared willing to adhere to low-risk guidelines if they were told that their risk of having dementia could be reduced. Increased willingness was found in women (OR 1.81; CI 1.47-2.23), in people who had at least one child (OR 1.36; CI 1.09-1.70), and those who slept well (OR 1.45; CI 1.06-2.00). People who were obese (OR 0.72; CI 0.54-0.95), those who drank alcohol above limits (OR 0.13; CI 0.11-0.16), and those who were smokers (OR 0.56; CI 0.36-0.88) were less willing to adhere to current guidelines. CONCLUSION: Men and people with more lifestyle risk factors for common chronic diseases (e.g., smoking, obesity, and excess alcohol consumption) are less willing to adhere to current alcohol low-risk guidelines to reduce dementia risk

Supplemental material - Understanding Barriers and Facilitators to Online and App Activities for People Living With Dementia and Their Supporters

Supplemental material for Understanding Barriers and Facilitators to Online and App Activities for People Living With Dementia and Their Supporters by Abigail R. Lee, Orii McDermott, and Martin Orrell in Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology</p

Is use of the internet in midlife associated with lower dementia incidence? Results from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Objectives: Dementia is expected to affect one million individuals in the United Kingdom by 2025; its prodromal phase may start decades before its clinical onset. The aim of this study is to investigate whether use of internet from 50 years of age is associated with a lower incidence of dementia over a ten-year follow-up. Methods: We analysed data based on 8,238 dementia free (at baseline in 2002–2004) core participants from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Information on baseline use of internet was obtained through questionnaires; dementia casesness was based on participant (or informant) reported physician diagnosed dementia or overall score on the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used for examining the relationship between internet use and incident dementia. Results: There were 301 (5.01%) incident dementia cases during the follow-up. After full multivariable adjustment for potential confounding factors, baseline internet use was associated with a 40% reduction in dementia risk assessed between 2006–2012 (HR = 0.60 CI: 0.42–0.85; p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study suggests that use of internet by individuals aged 50 years or older is associated with a reduced risk of dementia. Additional studies are needed to better understand the potential causal mechanisms underlying this association

Chatting: Family Carers’ Perspectives on Receiving Support from Dementia Crisis Teams

Family caregivers are vital to enabling people with dementia to live longer in their own homes. For these caregivers, chatting with clinicians—being listened to empathetically and receiving reassurance—can be seen as not incidental but important to supporting them. This paper considers and identifies the significance of this relational work for family carers by re-examining data originally collected to document caregivers’ perspectives on quality in crisis response teams. This reveals that chatting, for family caregivers, comprises three related features: (i) that family caregivers by responding to a person’s changing and sometimes challenging needs and behaviors inhabit a precarious equilibrium; (ii) that caregivers greatly appreciate ‘chatting’ with visiting clinicians; and (iii) that while caregivers appreciate these chats, they can be highly critical of the institutionalized character of a crisis response team’s involvement with them.</p

Feasibility and acceptability evaluation of the Promoting Independence in Dementia (PRIDE) intervention for living well with dementia

Objectives: Post-diagnostic psychosocial interventions could play an important role in supporting people with mild dementia remain independent. The Promoting Independence in Dementia (PRIDE) intervention was developed to address this. Method: The mixed methods non-randomized, pre-post feasibility study occurred across England. Facilitators were recruited from the voluntary sector and memory services. Participants and their supporters took part in the three-session intervention. Outcome measures were collected at baseline and follow-up. To evaluate acceptability, focus groups and interviews were conducted with a subsample of participants and facilitators. Results: Contextual challenges to delivery including national research governance changes, affected recruitment of study sites. Thirty-four dyads consented, with 14 facilitators providing the intervention. Dyads took part in at least two sessions (79%), and 73% in all three. Outcome measures were completed by 79% without difficulty, with minimal missing data. No significant changes were found on pre and post assessments. Post hoc analysis found moderate effect size improvements for self-management (SMAS instrument) in people with dementia (d = 0.41) and quality of life (EQ5D measure) in carers (d = 0.40). Qualitative data indicated that dyads found PRIDE acceptable, as did intervention facilitators. Conclusions: The three-session intervention was well accepted by participant-dyads and intervention facilitators. A randomized controlled trial of PRIDE would need to carefully consider recruitment potential across geographically varied settings and site stratification according to knowledge of contextual factors, such as the diversity of post-diagnostic services across the country. Letting sites themselves be responsible for identifying suitable intervention facilitators was successful. The self-report measures showed potential to be included in the main trial

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SPSS data file of individual participant dat

Descriptive statistics for baseline cohort and completers.

<p>Descriptive statistics for baseline cohort and completers.</p

Summary of results of the cost-utility analysis.

<p>Summary of results of the cost-utility analysis.</p

Consort diagram of participant flow through study.

<p>Consort diagram of participant flow through study.</p