To review the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions in older adults with depression or anxiety and comorbidities affecting functioning.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, including searches of 10 databases (inception-Jul 2017).

Home/community.

People aged 60 and over experiencing functional difficulties from physical or cognitive comorbidities and have symptoms or a diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety.

Non-pharmacological interventions targeted at depression/anxiety.

We extracted outcome data on depressive symptoms, quality of life, functioning, and service use. We used random effects meta-analysis to pool study data where possible. Two authors assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool.

We identified 14 eligible trials including 2099 randomized participants and two subgroup analyses. Problem-solving therapy (PST) reduced short-term clinician-rated depressive symptoms (n = 5 trials, mean difference in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score −4.94 [95% CI −7.90 to −1.98]) but not remission, with limited evidence for effects on functioning and quality of life. There was limited high-quality evidence for other intervention types. Collaborative care did not appear to affect depressive symptoms, functioning, or quality of life; and had mixed evidence for effects upon remission. No intervention consistently affected service use, but trials were limited by small sample sizes and short follow-up periods. No anxiety interventions were identified.

PST may reduce depressive symptoms post-intervention in older people with depression and functional impairments. Collaborative care appears to have few effects in this population. Future research needs to assess cost-effectiveness, long-term outcomes, and anxiety interventions for this population.

Episodic memory starts to decline very early in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Subtle impairments in memory binding may be detected in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the memory binding test (MBT).

One hundred and sixty-four subjects (26 individuals with AD, 67 individuals with amnestic MCI (aMCI), 30 individuals with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), and 41 cognitively normal elderly individuals (NC)) participated in the study. Twenty-two subjects repeated the assessment of the MBT within 6 weeks (± 2 weeks). Pearson correlation was used to calculate the convergent validity. The test––retest reliability was determined by the calculation of the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Discriminative validity was calculated to evaluate the receiver–operating characteristic curves. The optimal index was chosen by comparing the area under the curve for specificity and sensitivity ≥ 0.80. The optimal cutoff score of the index was chosen to maximize the sum of sensitivity and specificity.

The absolute value of the convergent validity of the direct indexes of MBT ranged from 0.443 to 0.684. The ICC for each of direct indexes was 0.887–0.958. Total delayed paired recall (TDPR) was the optimal index for discriminating aMCI from NC. The cutoff score for TDPR was ≤25 to distinguish aMCI from NC (sensitivity = 0.896, specificity = 0.707).

The Chinese version of MBT is a valid and reliable instrument to detect MCI.

To assess independent and joint effects of pairs of vascular and cardiometabolic risk factors (VCMRFs) in relation to risk of all-cause dementia.

Population-based longitudinal cohort study of cognitive impairment. We used an algorithm to select pairs of VCMRFs and tested their joint effects in time-dependent Cox models. We used attributable proportions (AP) to measure the proportion of risk from interactions beyond any additive effect.

Economically depressed small-town population.

Adults age 65+ years with up to 10 yearly study visits (N=1701, median (Q1, Q3) age, 78 (71.0, 83.0), 62.3% female, 94.9% white).

Among 1701 participants free from prevalent dementia with at least one follow-up visit, 109 developed incident all-cause dementia. In pairings of APOE*4 with hypertension (HTN) and congestive heart failure (CHF), the variables contributed independently and additively to all-cause dementia risk. In pairings of APOE*4 with stroke and stroke with CHF, the variables demonstrated independent contributions to all-cause dementia risk; their joint effects showed excess detriment demonstrating synergistic interactions (joint HR [95% CI]: 28.33 [6.74, 119.01] and 50.30 [14.57, 173.57] respectively, fully adjusted models). Physical activity (PA) was independently associated with lower all-cause dementia risk when paired with APOE*4, stroke, and CHF in unadjusted models; these associations did not survive covariate adjustment. The joint effect of low PA and APOE*4 was associated with additively increased all-cause dementia risk (joint HR [95% CI]: 4.61 [2.07, 10.23], fully adjusted model).

Reduction of VCMRFs, including low PA, could be valuable for dementia prevention, especially among APOE*4 carriers.

Sense of competence defines a caregiver’s feeling of being capable to manage the caregiving task and is an important clinical concept in the caregiving literature. The aim of this review was to identify the factors, both positive and negative, associated with a caregiver’s perception of their sense of competence.

A systematic review of the literature was conducted, retrieving both quantitative and qualitative papers from databases PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Medline. A quality assessment was conducted using the STROBE and CASP checklists, and the quality rating informed the inclusion of papers ensuring the evidence was robust. Narrative synthesis was employed to synthesize the findings and to generate an updated conceptual model of sense of competence.

Seventeen papers were included in the review, all of which were moderate to high quality. These included 13 quantitative, three mixed-methods and one qualitative study. Factors associated with sense of competence included: behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), caregiver depression, gratitude, and the ability to find meaning in caregiving.

The results of this review demonstrate that both positive and negative aspects of caring are associated with caregiver sense of competence. Positive and negative aspects of caregiving act in tandem to influence caregiver perception of their competence. The proposed model of sense of competence aims to guide future research and clinical interventions aimed at improving this domain but requires further testing, as due to the observational nature of the include papers, the direction of causality could not be inferred.

Prior research found that the positive association between wisdom and subjective well-being might at least partially be explained by a greater sense of mastery and purpose in life. This study tested whether religiosity provides an alternative pathway to well-being and whether the associations are moderated by age cohort and nation of residency.

A quota sample design was used, stratified by age group, sex, and nation of residency, to collect cross-sectional survey data of 111 older adults (age range 62–99 years, M = 77.20, SD = 8.98) and 100 young adults (age range 21–30 years, M = 24.05, SD = 2.69) from Canada and the United States.

Face-to-face interviews were conducted to administer the survey. All measures consisted of validated scales and items.

Multi-group path analysis confirmed that mastery and purpose in life partially mediated the association between wisdom and well-being. Religiosity offered an alternative pathway to well-being, also partially through a greater sense of mastery and purpose in life. Wisdom was statistically more strongly related to mastery among older adults, whereas the association between mastery and purpose in life was statistically stronger among young adults. The mediated pathways from wisdom and religiosity to well-being did not differ by nation of residency.

These results highlight the importance of internal strengths for subjective well-being among both young and older adults and add confidence to the generalizability of the mediated path model for North America.

Both elevated blood pressure and/or depression increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. This study in treated elderly hypertensive patients explored the incidence of depression, its association (pre-existing and incident) with mortality and predictors of incident depression.

Data from 6,083 hypertensive patients aged ≥65 years enrolled in the Second Australian National Blood Pressure study were used. Participants were followed for a median of 10.8 years (including 4.1 years in-trial) and classified into: “no depression,” “pre-existing” and “incident” depression groups based on either being “diagnosed with depressive disorders” and/or “treated with an anti-depressant drug” at baseline or during in-trial period. Further, we redefined “depression” restricted to presence of both conditions for sensitivity analyses. For the current study, end-points were all-cause and any cardiovascular mortality.

313 (5%) participants had pre-existing depression and a further 916 (15%) participants developed depression during the trial period (incidence 4% per annum). Increased (hazard-ratio, 95% confidence-interval) all-cause mortality was observed among those with either pre-existing (1.23, 1.01–1.50; p = 0.03) or incident (1.26, 1.12–1.41; p < 0.001) depression compared to those without. For cardiovascular mortality, a 24% increased risk (1.24, 1.05–1.47; p = 0.01) was observed among those with incident depression. The sensitivity analyses, using the restricted depression definition showed similar associations. Incident depression was associated with being female, aged ≥75 years, being an active smoker at study entry, and developing new diabetes during the study period.

This elderly cohort had a high incidence of depression irrespective of their randomised antihypertensive regimen. Both pre-existing and incident depression were associated with increased mortality.

Engagement of people with dementia who are living in the community, their family or carers, and healthcare professionals in decision-making related to their future care is an area yet to be explored in the literature. In particular, little is known about the factors most likely to underpin their engagement.

To identify key factors for the engagement of the person with dementia living in the community, as well as their family or carer and their healthcare professionals in decision-making processes related to future care.

This is an integrative review guided by the PRISMA guidelines; the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess study quality. MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Embase databases were searched for articles published from 2012 to 2018 that focused on people with dementia who live in the community, their family or carers, and community-based healthcare professionals.

Twenty articles were included in the review, and six key factors were identified through thematic analysis: knowledge and understanding of dementia and decision-making for the future, valuing decision-making for the future, healthcare professionals’ communication skills, timing of initiating conversations, relationship quality, and orientation to the future.

This review identifies the six key factors required for the engagement of the three primary key stakeholders in decision-making about the future care of people with dementia. It also situates the factors within the complex context in which people with dementia, their family or carers, and healthcare professionals typically find themselves.

Age-related hearing and vision problems are common among people with dementia and are associated with poorer function, reduced quality of life and increased caregiver burden. Addressing sensory impairments may offer an opportunity to improve various aspects of life for people with dementia.

Electronic databases were searched using key terms dementia, hearing impairment, vision impairment, intervention, and management. Database searches were supplemented by hand searching bibliographies of papers and via consultation with a network of health professional experts. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they included adults aged over 50 with dementia with adult-onset hearing or vision impairment who had received a hearing or vision intervention in relation to cognitive function, rate of decline, psychiatric symptoms, hearing/vision-related disability, quality of life, and/or caregiver burden outcomes. A range of study designs were included. Results were summarized descriptively according to level of evidence and effect sizes calculated where possible. Risk of bias was assessed using Downs and Black's (1998) checklist. The development of the intervention was summarized according to the CReDECI2 scheme. PROSPERO review registration number 2016:CRD42016039737.

Twelve papers describing hearing interventions and five papers describing vision interventions were included. Most were of low to moderate quality. One high quality randomized controlled trial of a hearing aid intervention was identified. Hearing interventions included provision of hearing aids, assistive listening devices, communication strategies, hearing aid trouble shooting, and cochlear implantation. Vision interventions included prism lenses, rehabilitation training, and cataract surgery. There was no consistent evidence for the positive impact of hearing/vision interventions on cognitive function, rate of cognitive decline, quality of life, or caregiver burden.

Sensory interventions may promote better outcomes, but there is a need for properly powered, controlled trials of hearing and vision interventions on outcomes relevant to people living with dementia.

A few studies examine the time evolution of delirium in long-term care (LTC) settings. In this work, we analyze the multivariate Delirium Index (DI) time evolution in LTC settings.

The multivariate DI was measured weekly for six months in seven LTC facilities, located in Montreal and Quebec City. Data were analyzed using a hidden Markov chain/latent class model (HMC/LC).

The analysis sample included 276 LTC residents. Four ordered latent classes were identified: fairly healthy (low “disorientation” and “memory impairment,” negligible other DI symptoms), moderately ill (low “inattention” and “disorientation,” medium “memory impairment”), clearly sick (low “disorganized thinking” and “altered level of consciousness,” medium “inattention,” “disorientation,” “memory impairment” and “hypoactivity”), and very sick (low “hypoactivity,” medium “altered level of consciousness,” high “inattention,” “disorganized thinking,” “disorientation” and “memory impairment”). Four course types were also identified: stable, improvement, worsening, and non-monotone. Class order was associated with increasing cognitive impairment, frequency of both prevalent/incident delirium and dementia, mortality rate, and decreasing performance in ADL.

Four ordered latent classes and four course types were found in LTC residents. These results are similar to those reported previously in acute care (AC); however, the proportion of very sick residents at enrolment was larger in LTC residents than in AC patients. In clinical settings, these findings could help identify participants with a chronic clinical disorder. Our HMC/LC approach may help understand coexistent disorders, e.g. delirium and dementia.

This study aimed to review the effectiveness of low-intensity cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)–based interventions for informal dementia caregivers when compared to non-active control conditions.

Literature searches were conducted in databases of published (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus) and unpublished (Open Grey, ISRCTN registry, ClinicalTrials.gov, ProQuest) literature. Individual meta-analyses were conducted for each outcome variable. Pooled intervention effect estimates were calculated as Hedge’s g using a random-effects model.

Studies examining the effect of low-intensity CBT-based interventions for informal caregivers for people with any progressive dementia were included. Randomized controlled trials and controlled clinical trials were included.

Outcomes included the psychological variables of anxiety, depression, burden, and distress (defined as stress or strain).

A total of five studies reported anxiety outcomes, 12 reported on depression, three reported on burden, and six reported distress outcomes. Results demonstrated a significant effect of low-intensity CBT-based interventions in reducing all examined psychological difficulties. Small effect sizes were found for anxiety (g = 0.35), depression (g = 0.27), and distress (g = 0.33). A medium effect was found for burden (g = 0.53).

The results provide initial support for low-intensity CBT-based interventions for dementia caregivers. Clinical implications and research recommendations are explored. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed.

Visual hallucinations are a common symptom in dementia and Parkinson’s disease and have been associated with greater cognitive and functional decline, but optimal management strategies are unclear. We review the frequency and pathogenesis of visual hallucinations in dementia and Parkinson’s disease and examine the evidence base for their management.

We undertook a systematic review of the visual hallucinations in dementia, searching studies published between January 1980 and July 2017 using PubMed with the search terms visual hallucinations AND review AND (dementia OR parkinson*).

We found 645 articles and screened them for relevance, finally including 89 papers (11 meta-analyses, 34 randomized controlled trials, six other trials and a number of relevant review articles). Only six of the trials reported visual hallucination outcomes separately from other neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Atypical antipsychotics were frequently studied, but with the exception of clozapine in Parkinson’s disease dementia, results were equivocal. There was some evidence that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors may help visual hallucinations. Overall, effect sizes for most treatments were small and there were few studies with long term follow up. Treatments need to be carefully weighed up with the risks and reviewed often, and many patients improved without treatment. There is a lack of data regarding visual hallucinations due to the grouping of psychotic symptoms together in commonly used rating scales. The lack of a specific rating scales, or analyzable items within other scales, for visual hallucinations, limited efficacy of current and small evidence base with short follow up are important areas for future studies to address.

To compare the accuracy of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in tracking mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).

A Systematic review of the PubMed, Bireme, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and PsycInfo databases was conducted. Using inclusion and exclusion criteria and staring with 1,629 articles, 34 articles were selected. The quality of the selected research was evaluated through the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool (QUADAS-2).

More than 80% of the articles showed MoCA to be superior to MMSE in discriminating between individuals with mild cognitive impairment and no cognitive impairment. The area under the curve varied from 0.71 to 0.99 for MoCA, and 0.43 to 0.94 for MMSE, when evaluating the ability to discriminate MCI in the cognitively healthy elderly individuals, and 0.87 to 0.99 and 0.67 to 0.99, respectively, when evaluating the detection of AD. The AUC mean value for MoCA was significantly larger compared to the MMSE in discriminating MCI from control [0.883 (CI 95% 0.855-0.912) vs MMSE 0.780 (CI 95% 0.740-0.820) p < 0.001].

The screening tool MoCA is superior to MMSE in the identification of MCI, and both tests were found to be accurate in the detection of AD.

People with dementia fall twice as often and have more serious fall-related injuries than healthy older adults. While gait impairment as a generic term is understood as a fall risk factor in this population, a clear elaboration of the specific components of gait that are associated with falls risk is needed for knowledge translation to clinical practice and the development of fall prevention strategies for people with dementia.

To review gait parameters and characteristics associated with falls in people with dementia.

Electronic databases CINAHL, EMBASE, MedLine, PsycINFO, and PubMed were searched (from inception to April 2017) to identify prospective cohort studies evaluating the association between gait and falls in people with dementia.

Increased double support time variability, use of mobility aids, walking outdoors, higher scores on the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, and lower average walking bouts were associated with elevated risk of any fall. Increased double support time and step length variability were associated with recurrent falls. The reviewed articles do not support using the Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment and the Timed Up-and-Go tests to predict any fall in this population. There is limited research on the use of dual-task gait assessments for predicting falls in people with dementia.

This systematic review shows the specific spatiotemporal gait parameters and features that are associated with falls in people with dementia. Future research is recommended to focus on developing specialized treatment methods for these specific gait impairments in this patient population.

There have been relatively few interventions on an individual level to support community-dwelling people with dementia to continue to fulfill their potential in society. This study investigated the implementation of DemenTalent, an intervention in which people with dementia become active as volunteers in society based on their talents. The intervention was linked to existing Meeting Centers for people with dementia and their informal caregivers.

We conducted a qualitative multiple case study. Semi-structured interviews regarding experienced facilitators and barriers were conducted with 22 key figures/stakeholders in 12 Meeting Centers during the preparation, starting and continuation phases of the implementation of DemenTalent.

Several influencing factors were found on a micro level (e.g. Public Relations, training, management involvement), meso level (e.g. finances, collaborating with others) and macro level (e.g. laws and regulations, national and regional policy) during the different phases of the implementation process. Factors mentioned by most stakeholders were human and financial resources. Another important factor appeared to be the culture of the region.

The insight into facilitating and impeding factors in the implementation of DemenTalent provided by this study will inform and enable other Meeting Centers to adopt a fitting strategy to implement DemenTalent in their own center. This is expected to help disseminate the intervention further, giving more people with dementia the chance to fulfill their potential, find a meaningful and pleasant way of spending their time, and actively participate in society. This will contribute to a more inclusive society and less stigmatization of people with dementia.

Awareness can be defined as a response to, or evaluation of, an aspect of one’s situation or internal state. Awareness becomes impaired as dementia progresses; however, the exact nature and degree of impairment in advanced dementia remains unclear. The extent to which caregivers understand or make assumptions about the level and nature of awareness in advanced dementia may have a significant impact on their ability to appropriately respond to and care for the person with dementia. This systematic review examines the literature regarding professional caregiver perceptions about awareness in advanced dementia.

A systematic search of online literature databases (PsychInfo, Medline, Embase, CINAHL) was conducted up to January 15, 2018, using a range of search terms related to dementia, awareness and caregiver attitudes.

The systematic review included a total of 10 qualitative studies that were heterogeneous in aspects of design, including analyses. Narrative synthesis was used to integrate results. Four major themes were identified from review of the papers: how professional caregivers defined awareness; professional caregiver beliefs about what influences the expression of awareness; professional caregiver beliefs around how to assess awareness in advanced dementia; and the perceived impact of episodes of increased awareness on the person with dementia and caregiver. Sub-themes were identified within each of these areas.

This review highlights the importance of professional caregiver perceptions of awareness in advanced dementia. Supporting professional caregivers to assess and understand the nature of awareness in advanced dementia would improve their approach to care and outcomes for people with dementia.

Non-pharmacological interventions for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) have been developed; however, a systematic review on the effectiveness of this type of intervention from a perspective of ergonomics is lacking. According to ergonomics, the capabilities of Persons with Dementia (PwD) should be considered in the interventions for the outcomes to be reliable. We aimed to systematically review the non-pharmacological interventions for BPSD in nursing home residents with an additional assessment criterion based on ergonomics, specifically, capability consideration.

The electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were searched for non-pharmacological interventions treating BPSD in nursing homes. The interventions were categorized according to the capabilities of PwD required to participate. Study quality was assessed by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) evidence hierarchy and the capability consideration.

Sixty-four clinical trials met the inclusion criteria; 41 trials reported a significant reduction in at least one BPSD symptom; 20 trials reported no significant reduction in BPSD symptoms; three trials reported adverse effects after the intervention. Interventions were categorized into sensory-, cognition-, and movement-oriented. Capabilities of PwD were not considered in 28 trials, especially for sensory capabilities.

The majority of the clinical trials reported a significant reduction in BPSD. The quality of evidence for nonpharmacological interventions in these trials is low due to the lack of capability consideration, data inhomogeneity, and inadequate study design and reporting. Future studies should focus on improving the quality of evidence by including capability consideration and examining if a relationship between capability consideration and effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions exists.

To show enhanced psychometric properties and clinical utility of the modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS) compared to the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Psychometric and clinical comparison of the 3MS and MMSE.

Neuropsychological clinic in the northeastern USA.

Older adults referred for cognitive concerns, 87 of whom were cognitively intact (CI) and 206 of whom were diagnosed with MCI.

The MMSE, the 3MS, and comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations.

Both instruments were significant predictors of diagnostic outcome (CI or MCI), with comparable odds ratios, but the 3MS explained more variance and showed improved classification accuracies relative to the MMSE. The 3MS also demonstrated greater receiver operating characteristic area under the curve values (0.85, SE = 0.02) compared to the MMSE (0.74, SE = 0.03). Scoring lower than 95/100 on the 3MS suggested MCI, while scoring lower than 28/30 on the MMSE suggested MCI. Additionally, compared to the MMSE, the 3MS shared more variance with neuropsychological composite scores in Language and Memory domains but not in Attention, Visuospatial, and Executive domains. Finally, 65.5% MCI patients were classified as impaired (scoring ≤1 SD below the mean) using 3MS normative data, compared to only 11.7% of patients who were classified as impaired using MMSE normative data.

Broadly speaking, our data strongly favor the widespread substitution of the MMSE with the 3MS in older adults with concerns for cognitive decline.

Dementia and cognitive impairment are associated with higher rates of complications and mortality during hospitalization in older patients. Moreover, length of hospital stay and costs are increased. In this prospective cohort study, we investigated the frequency of hospitalizations caused by ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs), for which proactive ambulatory care might prevent the need for a hospital stay, in older patients with and without cognitive impairments.

Prospective cohort study.

Eight hospitals in Germany.

A total of 1,320 patients aged 70 years and older.

The Mini-Cog test has been used to assess cognition and to categorize patients in the groups no/moderate cognitive impairments (probably no dementia) and severe cognitive impairments (probable dementia). Moreover, lengths of hospital stay and complication rates have been assessed, using a binary questionnaire (if occurred during hospital stay or not; behavioral symptoms were adapted from the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory). Data have been acquired by the nursing staff who received a special multi-day training.

Patients with severe cognitive impairments showed higher complication rates (including incontinence, disorientation, irritability/aggression, restlessness/anxiety, necessity of Tranquilizers and psychiatric consults, application of measures limiting freedom, and falls) and longer hospital stays (+1.4 days) than patients with no/moderate cognitive impairments. Both groups showed comparably high ACSC-caused admission rates of around 23%.

The study indicates that about one-fourth of hospital admissions of cognitively normal and impaired older adults are caused by ACSCs, which are mostly treatable on an ambulatory basis. This implies that an improved ambulatory care might reduce the frequency of hospitalizations, which is of particular importance in cognitively impaired elderly due to increased complication rates.

It is well established that there is a high prescribing rate of psychotropic agents in residential aged care (RAC). The appropriateness of these medications has become controversial, given the limited data on efficacy and growing evidence of associated adverse outcomes.

To assess psychotropic prescribing in RAC including identification of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) and common psychological and behavioral symptoms indicated for prescribing. These were viewed in context of dementia and different RAC facilities.

Electronic care plans of 779 RAC residents across 12 facilities were examined to elucidate psychotropic prescribing rates, PIPs, and indications for use.

One in two residents (48.1%) were prescribed a psychotropic drug. The primary reasons for prescribing were depression (61.5%), anxiety (26.7%), sleep problems (25.4%), agitation (13.7%), psychosis (11.0%), and other behaviors (7.2%). Residents with dementia (56.6%) were more likely to be prescribed a drug for agitation and psychosis, and had a significantly increased prescription rate for antidepressants (OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.08–2.08, p = 0.01) and antipsychotics (OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.23–2.88, p < 0.01). Conversely, residents with dementia were less likely to receive medication to combat sleeping difficulties, with significantly lower benzodiazepine prescribing (OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.44–0.91, p = 0.01). Over half of all psychotropic prescriptions (54.0%) were potentially inappropriate based on the Beers Criteria. There was high variability of prescribing rates between homes.

There is a high prescribing rate of potentially inappropriate medications. Residents with dementia are more likely to receive medication for agitation and psychosis, and are less likely to receive medication to combat sleeping difficulties.

More than 90% of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) experience behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), such as agitation. However, little is known regarding the specific burden of agitation for Alzheimer’s patients.

A global systematic literature review was conducted in MEDLINE and Embase for studies of clinical, humanistic, and economic burden of agitation in AD/dementia published from 2006–2016. References of identified papers and related literature reviews were examined. Studies meeting predetermined inclusion criteria for burden of agitation/NPS were summarized.

Eighty papers met the inclusion criteria for burden of agitation in dementia. Wide ranges of agitation prevalence were reported, but few papers provided information on incidence. The association of agitation with AD severity was presented in multiple studies; a few suggested positive association of agitation with mortality.

High prevalence of agitation is consistent with earlier reports, but several gaps in understanding of agitation in AD need further exploration.