Bridget Regan

The MAXCOG project is well underway with all the important systems and procedures in place.  We have liaised with all of the key stakeholders to produce a manual which will serve as a guide for the provision of the MAXCOG intervention.  We have approval from the ethics committees across four health services to process with our study.  It has taken time and care to set up relationships across all of the relevant teams and services and we have and have begun receiving referrals from all four sites.  

We are in the process of bringing Alzheimer’s Australia Vic. counsellors on board in delivering the intervention and have set up an ongoing system of group supervision meetings.  We aim to utilise the supervision meetings in order to review the success and appropriateness of the MAXCOG intervention for each client and their supporter.  Our evaluation of the MAXCOG intervention will include both quantitative information (from assessment scales etc.) and qualitative information from the clients and counsellors about what they thought was most successful.  

he use of early intervention programs may help to improve quality of life and extend the period of independence for older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or early dementia. However, very few services have the expertise and capacity to provide early intervention to this group. This project aims to develop and evaluate a new individualised intervention ('MAXCOG') for people with MCI or early dementia and their close family supporters to be implemented by existing service providers. The content of the intervention will be based on a new set of information handouts for people with MCI and early dementia, recently developed and evaluated by our research team, and will comprise four weekly face-to-face psycho-education and counselling sessions for the person newly diagnosed with MCI / early dementia and their principal family supporter. 

The client and carer will be encouraged to utilise cognitive and psychosocial management strategies to address any difficulties they are experiencing in day-to-day life. Cognitive Dementia and Memory Service (CDAMS) and Alzheimer’s Australia Vic will work together to plan and conduct the intervention, and training will be provided to ensure consistency in approach. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the program a randomised controlled trial will be undertaken.

Regan B, Wells Y, Farrow M, O'Halloran P, Workman B. (in press). MAXCOG – Maximising Cognition: a randomised controlled trial of the efficacy of goal oriented cognitive rehabilitation for people with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, in press, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2016.11.008

Regan B, Varanelli L. (2013). Adjustment, Depression and anxiety in mild cognitive impairment and early dementia: a systematic review of psychological intervention studies. International Psychogeriatrics, 25(12),1963-84.

Presentations

Regan B. MAXCOG: maximising cognitive abilities in preclinical and early dementia. Monash Ageing Research Centre (MONARC) seminar presentation, 28 March 2012.

Dr Regan was iinvited to speak to a group of Monash Health Neuropsychologists about the MAXCOG project in February 2014.

Dr Regan also wrote a short piece on her project for Dementia News.

Dr Regan is a Research Fellow at the Monash Ageing Research Centre and also a Clinical Neuropsychologist at the Monash Health Cognitive Dementia and Memory Service

Please note, the MAXCOG program ended in 2014.