Impact of Mixed Cognitive Intervention Training on Early Onset Dementia

Non-pharmacological interventions for people living with young-onset dementia and their carers: A scoping review focussing on the support of participants' needs

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Young-onset dementia (YOD) refers to a phenomenon in which dementia symptoms appear under age 65. Diagnosing YOD is difficult and its progression is fast. Furthermore, it limits the socio-economic careers of people living with YOD, regardless of their needs. People living with YOD and their carers have unstable occupational status and their dependents also have to face a high burden of care. They claim that existing social support for dementia is limited to the elderly and is not suitable for them. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: The characteristics of non-pharmacological intervention studies for people living with YOD and/or their carers so far, and an analysis of the needs supported via the applied interventions. A theoretical basis and direction for the interventions to be studied in the future. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Research and intervention development should focus more on the needs of people living with YOD. In addition, it is necessary to understand and reflect on carers who directly care for people living with YOD. A multidisciplinary programme that supports wide area of the needs should be developed.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Young-onset dementia (YOD) is a highly influential disease that exerts force on the normal life of those who still have to continue social life. Research has been lacking in spite of its seriousness, which accounts for about 9% of all dementia cases.

AIM

This study aimed to examine non-pharmacological interventions for people living with YOD and/or their carers, and to analyse how those interventions support their needs.

METHOD

A scoping review methodology was utilized to search the studies examining interventions for people living with YOD and/or their carers, and in English or Korean. The information was extracted, summarized and analysed in CANE categories.

RESULTS

Sixteen studies were included in the review. Five types of interventions were drawn. 'Memory' was the most covered part of the needs by the interventions.

DISCUSSION

This study found that interventions currently do not match the needs of people living with YOD and their carers. Multidisciplinary research would be eligible to cover the subjects' wide range of the needs as much as possible.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

We suggest the development of a specialized needs assessment tool and specialized interventions for people living with young-onset dementia and their carers.

Interventions for Persons with Young-Onset Dementia and Their Families: A Scoping Review

Background

Dementia occurring before age 65 is known as young-onset dementia (YOD), with Alzheimer's disease being the most common type. YOD poses unique challenges for persons and families, impacting their working-age years and family responsibilities. Person-centered interventions and services are essential to improve their quality of life and social engagement.

Objective

This study aims to synthesize non-pharmacological interventions for persons with YOD and their families to inform future targeted interventions.

Methods

We conducted a systematic literature search across four databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and CINAHL. The included articles were carefully screened, categorized, and synthesized by following Arksey and O'Malley's five stages framework.

Results

We included 20 studies reported in 24 papers, with 11 studies (14 papers) on persons with YOD and nine studies (10 papers) on families. Quantitative intervention results vary, but qualitative interviews show positive feedback. Stakeholders provided positive evaluations, stating these interventions provided a sense of normalcy, facilitated communication among families, enhanced the independence of persons with YOD, and improved the families' caregiving self-efficacy, thereby reducing care burden and psychological distress. The heterogeneity among the studies posed integration challenges.

Conclusions

Interventions for YOD can improve the quality of life for both persons with YOD and their families. More extensive intervention studies are urgently needed, especially in developing countries, with a focus on family-centered and life course perspectives. In future intervention research design, a more extensive incorporation of stakeholder involvement is essential for successful implementation. Moreover, the integration of new technologies shows promise as a potential avenue for intervention advancement.