SynthesisAging & mental health2013
Systematic review of non-pharmacologic interventions to delay functional decline in community-dwelling patients with dementia.
Synthesis in Aging & mental health, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 103 citations in OpenAlex.
- Occupational therapy for people with dementia and their family carers provided at home: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2019Pooled it
- Trial
- Targeting Functional Decline in Alzheimer Disease: A Randomized Trial.Annals of internal medicine · 2017Trial
- A 3-arm randomized controlled trial on the effects of dance movement intervention and exercises on elderly with early dementia.BMC geriatrics · 2015Trial
- Does an interdisciplinary network improve dementia care? Results from the IDemUck-study.Current Alzheimer research · 2014Trial
- Pain in persons with dementia and the direct and indirect impacts on caregiver burden.Geriatric nursing (New York, N.Y.)Trial
- Correlation Between Caregiver Reports of Physical Function and Performance-based Measures in a Cohort of Older Adults With Alzheimer Disease.Alzheimer disease and associated disordersTrial
- Measures used to evaluate psychosocial interventions in dementia care: A narrative review and synthesis.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2026Review
- Training to Move an Evidence-based Dementia Caregiver Support Program into Practice: A pragmatic, randomized, non-inferiority trial protocol.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2025Article
- Case Reports in the Integration of Technology with Cognitive Rehabilitation for Individuals with Memory Concerns and Their Care Partners.Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists · 2025Article
- The vulnerability of hip fracture patients with cognitive impairment: an analysis of health conditions, hospital care, and outcomes.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Comparison of Caregiver and General Population Preferences for Dependency-Related Health States.Applied health economics and health policy · 2025Article
- North Macedonia interprofessional dementia care (NOMAD) - personalized care plans for people with dementia and caregiver psychoeducation delivered at home by interprofessional teams.Frontiers in dementia · 2024Article
- Utilization of occupational therapy services and relation to survival in people taking dementia-specific medication in Austria-A retrospective population-based study with a 13-year observation period.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2021Article
- Perspectives of the Elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment Living Alone on Participating in a Dementia Prevention Program: A Q Methodology Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics for the treatment of dementia: Protocol for a systematic review.Medicine · 2020Article
- Potential Benefits of Physical Activity in MCI and Dementia.Behavioural neurology · 2020Review
- Non-pharmacological interventions for patients with dementia: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2019Article
- A multicenter cohort study to investigate the factors associated with functional autonomy change in patients with cognitive complaint or neurocognitive disorders: the MEMORA study protocol.BMC geriatrics · 2019Article
- Maintenance of occupational therapy (OT) for dementia: protocol of a multi-center, randomized controlled and pragmatic trial.BMC geriatrics · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesOlder adults with dementia experience progressive functional decline, which contributes to caregiver burden and nursing home placement. The goal of this systematic review was to determine if any non-pharmacologic interventions have delayed functional decline among community-dwelling dementia patients.
methodWe completed a systematic literature review to identify controlled clinical trials reporting the impact of non-pharmacologic interventions on any measure of functional impairment or disability among community-dwelling dementia patients. We included studies that reported any proxy-respondent, self-reported, or performance-based standardized assessments.
resultsWe identified 18 published clinical trials that met inclusion criteria and found that study interventions fell into three different groups: occupational therapy, exercise, and multi-faceted ("other") interventions. The three groups of studies tended to vary systematically regarding the conceptual framework for the disabling process, target of intervention, and type of outcome measure. Approximately half the studies were conducted in the United States with mean sample size of 99 (from 27 to 1131) and follow-up periods between three months and two years. Instruments used to measure functional impairment or disability varied widely with 55 instruments across 18 studies. Nine studies reported a statistically significant improvement in functional decline in the intervention group.
conclusionThe current literature provides clinical trial evidence that non-pharmacologic interventions can delay progression of functional impairment or disability among community-dwelling dementia patients. The clinical significance of this early evidence is uncertain. These early studies provide rationale for larger and longer-term studies to determine if these interventions are sufficiently potent to delay institutionalization.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.