Objective: As populations age globally, there is an increasing prevalence of dementia, with an estimated 153 million living with dementia by 2050. Up to 70% of people with dementia experience dementia-related psychosis (D-RP). Antipsychotic medications are associated with many adverse effects in older people. This review aims to evaluate the evidence of non-pharmacological interventions in managing D-RP.
Method: The search of Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane included randomised controlled trials that evaluated non-pharmacological interventions. Data extraction and assessment of quality were assessed independently by two researchers. Heterogenous interventions were pooled using meta-analysis.
Results: A total of 18 articles (n = 2040 participants) were included and categorised into: sensory-, activity-, cognitive- and multi-component-orientated. Meta-analyses showed no significant impact in reducing hallucinations or delusions but person-centred care, cognitive rehabilitation, music therapy, and robot pets showed promise in single studies.
Conclusions and Implications: Future interventions should be developed and evaluated with a specific focus on D-RP as this was not the aim for many of the included articles.
Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.6129
Burnand, A., Rookes, T., Mahmood, F., Davies, N., Walters, K., Orleans-Foli, S., Sajid, M., Vickerstaff, V. and Frost, R. (2024), Non-Pharmacological Interventions in the Management of Dementia-Related Psychosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry, 39: e6129. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.6129
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