Improving mental health of older people through multidisciplinary efforts
| Title | Forname | Surname | Institution | Country |
| Professor | Knut | Engedal | University of Oslo | Norway |
| Institution | University of Oslo |
| Street Address | PO Box 1072 Blindern |
| City | Oslo |
| Postcode | NO-0316 |
Norway
The Research Council of Norway
1000000
15-08-2009
46
- Neurodegenerative disease in general
RCT, mental health, multidiciplinary
We have built a multidisciplinary consortium of eight research groups in order to provide new knowledge on mental health in older people and to improve services for this group of patients. In addition, national and international partners will be involved. The study will start in 2009 and have last for four years.Three patient cohorts, known to have a high prevalence of depression, dementia and delirium, will be studied; 800 with hip fracture, 1000 attending a memory clinic, and 1000 receiving in home nu rsing care. Cross-sectional and longitudinal designs will be used to describe the cohorts, and randomised controlled trials will be carried out to study the effect of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions within them. A common set of core v ariables will be utilised for all patients, describing symptoms of depression, dementia, delirium, frailty and disabilities. For a subpopulation, physical activity and the influence of physical activity on mental health will be studied. For another subpopulation, serum and whole blood will be collected for analysis of proinflammatory cytokins, cytochrom P450 genotype, drug concentrations, and other biological markers. During the follow-up of all patients of at least three years, the transition to nursing home placement and in-home nursing care will be studied. The project has two phases. The first is the observational phase, where the three patient populations will be examined and followed up. The second consists of three interventional trials: a) a RCT to study the effect of physical exercise on depressive symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia combined with depression, b) a RCT that will study the effect of a comprehensive orthogeriatric unit for hip fracture patients, an d c) a double blind RCT to study the effect of haloperidol in the prevention and treatment of deliriu.