Grant: Project Grant

There are 750,000 people living with dementia in Canada. Not only do people with dementia experience symptoms such as memory loss and declining independence in daily activities, more than 75% of people with dementia will experience a decline in their mental health from symptoms such as apathy and sleep disturbances. Symptoms such as apathy and sleep disturbances are important because they are associated with needing more help to complete daily activities, greater distress for caregivers, inappropriate use of medications that can cause dangerous side effects, and premature admission to a nursing home. Further, mental health symptoms associated with dementia are estimated to cost Canadians about $2.5 billion annually. In 2024, the Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH) developed a clinical practice guideline on assessing and managing symptoms of agitation, depression, anxiety, psychosis, and sexual expressions of potential risk in people with dementia to support clinicians, patients, caregivers, healthcare managers, and policymakers in understanding best practices and reducing variation in care for people with dementia across Canada. Symptoms of apathy and sleep disturbances were also highly rated during the guideline development process and there are no recommendations on these symptoms to guide best practices. Sleep disturbances include difficulty falling asleep, wandering at night, and daytime sleepiness. We propose this CCSMH clinical practice guideline to develop recommendations on assessing and treating apathy and sleep disturbances in people living with dementia. The guideline development team will include physicians, health disciplines (e.g., nurses, social workers), patient partners, and researchers from across Canada who will work together to synthesize evidence on how to diagnose, assess, and measure apathy and sleep disturbances in people with dementia and make evidence-based recommendations to improve clinical care.