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Research > Assessment and Better Care Outcomes Assessment and Better Care Outcomes
Special Groups of People with Dementia
Current Projects
All reviews coordinated by the PDCRC will consider the impact on the special groups listed below:
- Aboriginal and Indigenous communities
- Younger people with dementia
- CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse communities)
- Differences between rural and metropolitan care of people with dementia
- People with developmental disabilities
In addition, the DCRC has set up a node which will undertake and facilitate research projects centering on special groups with dementia. The node leader is Associate Professor Brian Draper.
| Centre | Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre |
| Node | Special Groups |
| Project Title | Indigenous People with Dementia |
| Researchers | Professor GA (Tony) Broe, Associate Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver, Rachelle Arkles, Hamish Robertson, Wendy Kelso and Associate Professor Brian Draper |
| Description | Indigenous people are arguably at high risk of cognitive impairment (and subsequent dementia) compared with the non-Indigenous community of comparable ages, because of lower formal education, high levels of social trauma, more chronic disease, less opportunity for skill development (all leading to reduced cognitive reserve) and a high prevalence over the life-time of traumatic brain injury and drug and alcohol morbidity. A literature review of dementia in indigenous people that includes risk factors for dementia and indigenous perceptions of dementia will be undertaken as the first stage of a proposal to mount an epidemiological study of dementia and cognitive impairment in this population. |
| Anticipated Completion | 29/02/2008 |
| Products | Cognition, Ageing and Dementia in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples: A Review of the Literature |
| Contact | Professor Tony Broe |
| Centre | Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre |
| Node | Special Groups |
| Project Title | A Pilot Study to Determine the Prevalence of Younger Onset Dementia in Sydney |
| Researchers | Dr Adrienne Withall, Associate Professor Brian Draper, Professor Henry Brodaty, Ms Colleen McKinnon |
| Description | Younger onset dementia refers to changes in a person’s memory, judgment and/or behaviour that occur prior to the age of 65. Younger people with dementia often still have young families, are working, have mortgages, and do not fit in with mainstream dementia services that are geared towards the elderly population. Since there have been no Australian studies to establish how many people have younger onset dementia, it is difficult to determine the need for services for these persons and their families. This study will determine the number of people with younger onset dementia who have presented to Prince of Wales Hospital and residential care in the surrounding area to provide data to enable us to develop better, tailored healthcare for younger people with dementia. |
| Anticipated Completion | 28/11/2008 |
| Products | TBA |
| Contact | Dr Adrienne Withall |
| Centre | Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre |
| Node | Special Groups |
| Project Title | Manuals for Younger Onset Dementia |
| Researchers | Dr Adrienne Withall |
| Description | The aim is to produce two manuals (one for clinicians and another for consumers) on younger onset dementia. These manuals are being produced in a collaboration with Alzheimer’s Association and staff at Melbourne University. |
| Anticipated Completion | 03/03/2008 |
| Products | Manuals |
| Contact | Dr Adrienne Withall |
| Centre | Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre |
| Node | Special Groups |
| Project Title | Dementia Literacy in Italian, Greek and Chinese Australians |
| Researchers | Dr Lee-Fay Low, Associate Professor Kaarin Anstey, Mr Peter Todaro, Mr Michael Camit, Professor Henry Brodaty, Associate Professor Brian Draper, Mr Glenn Rees |
| Description | The dementia knowledge and beliefs of persons from Italian, Greek and Chinese backgrounds will be compared to third generation Australians. Five hundred persons from each group will be randomly selected from around Australia to be surveyed by telephone. Questions will assess whether dementia symptoms are recognised, what these persons think causes dementia, where they would go for help, how likely they are to use aged care services and stigma towards persons with dementia. Focus groups will be conducted before the survey to refine content and after the survey and identify barriers to service use and identify methods to improve dementia knowledge. |
| Anticipated Completion | 31/12/2009 |
| Products | TBA |
| Contact | Dr Lee-Fay Low |
| Centre | Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre |
| Node | Special Groups |
| Project Title | A pilot study of differences in Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia and carer burden in nursing home residents in Sydney and Shanghai |
| Researchers | Ms Helen Wu, Dr Lee-Fay Low, Professor Henry Brodaty, Professor Xiao Shifu |
| Description | A prominent feature of dementia is dysfunctional behaviour, which include both behavioural and psychological symptoms. This study will compare the rates of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) in Nursing homes across three residential facilities: Mainstream nursing homes in Sydney, Ethno-specific Chinese nursing homes in Sydney, dementia hospitals that provide long-term care in Shanghai. Reasons for institutionalisation, carer burden and guilt for informal carers of residents from the three residential care types will also be examined. |
| Anticipated Completion | 20/12/2008 |
| Products | TBA |
| Contact | Dr Lee-Fay Low |
| Centre | Primary Dementia Collaborative Research Centre |
| Node | Special Groups |
| Project Title | A pilot cross-sectional study of rates of depression among Chinese people in ethno-specific and mainstream nursing homes in Sydney |
| Researchers | Ms Ivanna Goh, Dr Lee-Fay Low, Professor Henry Brodaty |
| Description | In Australia, up to 20% of residents in nursing homes have major depression. This study will investigate whether culturally appropriate care is associated with lower rates of depression in nursing homes. It will investigate rates of depression in Chinese residents in Chinese ethno-specific and mainstream homes and non-Chinese residents in mainstream facilities. Information will be gathered through interviews with residents, from family caregivers and nursing home staff. |
| Anticipated Completion | 30/11/2008 |
| Products | TBA |
| Contact | Dr Lee-Fay Low |
| Centre | Dementia Collaborative Research Centre: Assessment and Better Care Outcomes |
| Node | Special Groups |
| Project Title | Strategic Directions in CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) Dementia Research in Australia |
| Researchers | Ada Cheng. Benedict Cruysmans, Brian Draper, Nicky Hayward-Wright,
Yun-Hee Jeon, Dina LoGiudice, Lee-Fay Low, Helen Wu, Georgia Zogalis. |
| Description | In 2006, one-quarter (5.3 million people) of the estimated resident population of Australia (21 million people) was born overseas as were 18 percent of those aged 65 and over (ABS, 2008). Given the relative paucity of publications on dementia in persons from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, we convened a group of experts in this area for a one day meeting to review and consolidate the current state of knowledge of CALD in dementia care in Australia, to identify the gaps in knowledge and to make suggestions about future research directions. |
| Anticipated Completion | 03/2009 |
| Products | Report and Summary of Recommendations |
| Contact | Dr Lee-Fay Low |
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