title: Evidence-based occupational therapy for people with dementia and their families: What clinical practice guidelines tell us and implications for practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The first evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines and Principles of Care for People with Dementia in Australia have been released. The Guidelines detail a number of important evidence-based recommendations for occupational therapists. The aim of this paper is (1) to provide an overview of Guideline development, and (2) to describe the evidence supporting a recommendation for occupational therapy. Common characteristics of effective occupational therapy programmes for people with dementia are described.
  
  
  METHODS
  Guideline development involved adaptation of existing high-quality guidelines developed overseas and 17 systematic reviews to ensure that the most recent high-quality evidence was included. One of the systematic reviews involved examining the evidence for interventions to promote independence in people with dementia. Specifically, we looked at the evidence for occupational therapy and its effect on activities of daily living, quality of life and carer impact.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 109 recommendations are included in the Guidelines. Occupational therapy was found to significantly increase independence in activities of daily living and improve quality of life. Effective occupational therapy programmes involve: environmental assessment, problem solving strategies, carer education and interactive carer skills training.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Occupational therapists working with people with dementia in community settings should ensure that their time is spent on those aspects of intervention that are shown to be effective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Aged and Extended Care, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Laver
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cumming
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dyer
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Meera
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Agar
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Kaarin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Anstey
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beattie
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brodaty
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Broe
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Lindy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Clemson
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crotty
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Draper
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Flicker
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Meg
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Friel
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heuzenroeder
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurrle
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Rhonda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nay
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Dimity
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pond
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Santalucia
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Whitehead
authors.affiliation: Guideline Adaptation Committee, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yates
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D017028:Caregivers; D003704:Dementia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: Alzheimer disease; Evidence-based practice; knowledge translation; practice guideline