SynthesisBMJ open2019
Occupational therapy for people with dementia and their family carers provided at home: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07279103 (The Effect of Multisensory Environment-Based Occupational Therapy Intervention on Sensory Processing, Cognitive, Behavioral Symptoms and Caregiver Burden in Alzheimer's Patients), which is not on this map. Cited by 66 papers, 9 of them syntheses 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.
The Effect of Multisensory Environment-Based Occupational Therapy Intervention on Sensory Processing, Cognitive, Behavioral Symptoms and Caregiver Burden in Alzheimer's Patients: A Randomized Controlled Study
Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effective Solutions for Caregivers of Older Adults: A Review of Systematic Reviews.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2025Pooled it
- Occupational Therapy Interventions in Patients with Frontotemporal Dementia: A Systematic Review.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Pooled it
- Frameworks for cultural adaptation of psychosocial interventions: A systematic review with narrative synthesis.Dementia (London, England) · 2023Pooled it
- Cognitive rehabilitation for people with mild to moderate dementia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effectiveness of home-based, non-exercise interventions for dementia: A systematic review.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- Comparative efficacy and acceptability of treatments for depressive symptoms in cognitive impairment: A systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Personally tailored activities for improving psychosocial outcomes for people with dementia in community settings.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Primary Progressive Aphasia: Phenomenology, Circuits, and Clinical Management.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2026Review
- Article
- Built Environment and Assistive Technology Design in Residential Aged Care: A Scoping Review and Mapping of Evaluation Methods and Measures to the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Bridging the Gap in Dementia Rehabilitation: Evaluating the Impact of the INCLUDE Package on Allied Health Professionals' Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Change.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2026Article
- What Is Inclusive Occupational Therapy for People Living With Dementia? Lessons From Collaborative Workshops With Diverse Communities.Australasian journal on ageing · 2026Article
- Rethinking dementia support at home: bridging gaps between healthcare and the social domain.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Stem cells strike back: advancements in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease treatment and modeling efforts from 2019 to 2024.Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany) · 2025Review
- Perceived rehabilitation needs of older people with dementia : A qualitative interview study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Referrals to allied health professionals for people with dementia: an analysis of general practitioner data from two Australian primary health networks.Family medicine and community health · 2025Article
- Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial: effect of an interdisciplinary psycho-educational intervention programme on caregivers of dependent older adults.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Online Interventions for Family Carers of People with Dementia That Focus on Support Strategies for Daily Living: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo determine the effect of occupational therapy provided at home on activities of daily living, behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and quality of life (QOL) for people with dementia, and the effect on family carer burden, depression and QOL.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis.
methodsEight databases were searched to February 2018. Randomised controlled trials of occupational therapy delivered at home for people with dementia and their family carers that measured ADL, and/or BPSD were included. Two independent reviewers determined eligibility, risk of bias and extracted data.
resultsFifteen trials were included (n=2063). Occupational therapy comprised multiple components (median=8 sessions). Compared with usual care or attention control occupational therapy resulted in improvements in the following outcomes for people with dementia: overall ADL after intervention (standardised means difference (SMD) 0.61, 95% CI 0.16 to 1.05); instrumental ADL alone (SMD 0.22, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.37; moderate quality); number of behavioural and psychological symptoms (SMD -0.32, 95% CI -0.57 to -0.08; moderate quality); and QOL (SMD 0.76, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.24) after the intervention and at follow-up (SMD 1.07, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.55). Carers reported less hours assisting the person with dementia (SMD -0.33, 95% CI -0.58 to -0.07); had less distress with behaviours (SMD -0.23, 95% CI -0.42 to -0.05; moderate quality) and improved QOL (SMD 0.99, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.33; moderate quality). Two studies compared occupational therapy with a comparison intervention and found no statistically significant results. GRADE ratings indicated evidence was very low to moderate quality.
conclusionsFindings suggest that occupational therapy provided at home may improve a range of important outcomes for people with dementia and their family carers. Health professionals could consider referring them for occupational therapy. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42011001166.
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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.