Background: Cognitive communication difficulties are a characteristic feature of dementia. These deficits have negative effects on all aspects of daily life. Yet, there are few options for standardized assessment of cognitive communication skills in people with dementia.

Aims: To review published cognitive-communication assessments to determine what psychometrically sound assessments exist that are applicable to all people with dementia.

Brief description: Conversation abilities of people with dementia are impacted by cognitive communication deficits. Communication interventions can improve quality of life by increasing positive interactions and well-being. This study evaluates the feasibility of a conversation coaching intervention (CCI) for people with dementia and their communication partners.

Individuals with dementia have communication limitations resulting from cognitive impairments that define the syndrome. Whereas there are numerous cognitive assessments for individuals with dementia, there are far fewer communication assessments. The Profiling Communication Ability in Dementia (P-CAD) was developed to address this gap. The purpose of the study was to answer the following research questions: 1) What is the validity and reliability of the P-CAD? 2) Is it sensitive to change over time in the cognitive communication ability of the person with dementia?

We are conducting a survey and in-depth interviews to find out what are the support/service needs of people living with different types of dementia and their care partners, i.e. what services they have or would like access to/what resources would help to improve their quality of life.

Aim: To set priorities for research to inform health and social care planning for people with LBD and their care partners in Ireland.

Specifically, this project will:

Objective 1: Identify the evidence gap and priority needs for LBD by incorporating multiple stakeholder perspectives, with strong 'patient and public involvement (PPI)', based on gold standard JLA methods.

No new Alzheimer's drug treatment had be licensed for 20 years until 2021, when the first Alzheimer's disease-modifying therapy (DMT) was licensed in the USA, giving hope of slowing/reversing the disease. Several new DMTs are expected. Unfortunately, offering DMTs in Ireland requires significant changes in Memory Clinic set-up, due to high drug costs and need for careful monitoring. Moreover, DMTs only work in people in early Alzheimer's, which is often unrecognized in Ireland.

Lewy body dementias (LBD, including Parkinson's dementia and Lewy body dementia) accounts for >20% of the nearly 65,000 people with dementia in Ireland. LBD is ‘the most common form of dementia no-one has heard about’. Fewer than 5% of those affected receive a formal diagnosis. LBD is characterised by cognitive-behavioural and physical changes which significantly impact quality of life and care burden. Knowledge, awareness and support in Ireland for LBD is minimal.

The Trinity-Ulster-Department-of-Agriculture (TUDA) cohort is a unique and innovative resource for ageing research designed to assess the impact of nutritional, lifestyle, environmental and genetic factors on diseases of ageing, particularly in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, dementia and osteoporosis.