Sau Chi Cheung
Supporting changed behaviours: Positive behaviour support in younger-onset dementia
Award
Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration Pilot Grant
Status
Completed
Start Date
1 March 2022
About the project
Changed behaviours, such as aggression and socially inappropriate behaviours, commonly occur in younger-onset dementia, which affects people under age 65. These changed behaviours can have significant negative impacts on the person and their families, including reduced quality of life and increased stress for family carers. Medication is currently the most common intervention, though it is often ineffective and has unwanted side effects. Although behaviour support interventions, such as Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) are most effective, there is a serious lack of options for these in Australia.
Dr Sau Chi Cheung delivered five weekly education sessions, questionnaires and interviews, co-designed with people affected by dementia. The goal was to examine how acceptable and useful a family-directed PBS education program was in equipping family carers with the skills to manage changed behaviours on a day-to-day basis and reduce their negative impacts. Following these sessions, carer quality of life improved. This may lead to increased capacity for carers to deliver greater quality care and support for people living with younger-onset dementia.
To provide structure for ongoing behaviour support in the community, Dr Cheung is focusing on how to provide the education program earlier in the disease course and on a more regular basis. Dr Cheung hopes to examine the effectiveness of online program delivery and develop facilitator guidelines. She wants to increase the ability to reach families supporting people living with dementia across Australia, particularly in regions with limited services. Her findings will improve dementia care in the community and the services available for families supporting people living with dementia experiencing changed behaviours.
Where are they now?
At the time of the award, Sau Chi Cheung was an endorsed Clinical Neuropsychologist working at FRONTIER Frontotemporal Dementia Research Group as a post-doctoral research officer, as well as the Liverpool Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit.
