The main purpose of TASKed was to investigate key factors affecting loss of independence in dementia, which inevitably leads to great dependence from others and services and drives decisions on nursing care placements.
Summary
In the UK, it is estimated that 850,000 people suffer from dementia, two-thirds of whom are living in the community as opposed to residential care homes. As well as causing decline in cognitive functions such as memory, planning and decision-making, dementia can lead to functional disability (the inability to carry out activities of daily living (ADLs) independently). The cost of functional disability to patients, their families and society as a whole is significant; however, key factors underpinning it are yet to be systematically investigated. Functional abilities can be affected by both intrinsic factors (relating to the patient or the disease process) which are difficult to change, and extrinsic factors (such as the home environment and the physical surroundings) which it may be possible to adapt. The study posed four key questions, which were addressed through completion of four work packages as follows:
- Work package 1: What is the evidence that extrinsic factors related to the carer and the environment affect functional disability, and how does this vary with dementia severity?
- Work package 2: What is the relative importance of carer burden and carer interaction to functional disability in each dementia stage?
- Work package 3: Which factors predict functional decline over a 12-month period?
- Work package 4: Can findings from the study be used to create a novel toolkit for activity engagement?
