title: Enhancing caregivers' understanding of dementia and tailoring activities in frontotemporal dementia: two case studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to describe the intervention process and results of the Tailored Activities Program (TAP) in two people diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).
  
  
  METHODS
  TAP is an occupational therapy (OT) community-based intervention program that prescribes personalised activities to reduce difficult behaviours of dementia. The OT works with carers over a 4-month period (assessment, activity prescription and generalisation of strategies). Study measures were collected (blind researcher) pre- and post-intervention: cognition, functional disability, behavioural symptoms and Caregiver Confidence and Vigilance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 51-year-old woman with behavioural-variant FTD could consistently engage in more activities post-intervention, with scores indicating improvements to behaviour, function and caregiver confidence. A 63-year-old man with semantic variant FTD engaged well in the prescribed activities, with scores reflecting reduced carer distress regarding challenging behaviours and improved caregiver vigilance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TAP is efficacious in FTD, allowing for differences in approach for FTD subtype, where behavioural symptoms are very severe and pervasive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Tailored Activities Program is an intervention which can be tailored to account for unique behavioural and language profiles inherent across frontotemporal dementia (FTD) subtypes. Maintaining a flexible approach when applying an intervention in FTD allows for tailoring to individual case variability within FTD subtypes.
authors.affiliation: a Ageing, Work & Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney , Sydney , Australia .
authors.forename: Claire M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.affiliation: a Ageing, Work & Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney , Sydney , Australia .
authors.forename: Lindy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Clemson
authors.affiliation: b School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales , Sydney , Australia .
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brodaty
authors.affiliation: c Centre for Innovative Care in Aging, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA .
authors.forename: Laura N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Gitlin
authors.affiliation: d Neuroscience Research Australia , Sydney , Australia .|e School of Medical Science, University of New South Wales , Sydney , Australia , and.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Piguet
authors.affiliation: f Department of Psychiatry , University of Cambridge , UK.
authors.forename: Eneida
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mioshi
mesh_terms: D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Caregivers; Tailored Activities Program; dementia; frontotemporal dementia; non-pharmacological intervention; occupational therapy