Objective: Aged care services increasingly respond to the needs of people with dementia. Non-pharmacological approaches are preferable to reduce responsive behaviours, improve/maintain functional capacity and reduce emotional disorders. This rapid review of systematic reviews aimed to consolidate the evidence for non-pharmacological interventions and determine outcome effectiveness. Methods: Systematic review literature was comprehensively searched for non-pharmacological interventions for dementia in residential care. Quality ratings used adapted GRADE methodology, and ease of implementation assessed. Results: Of 629 abstracts screened, 81 full-text articles were retrieved, 38 articles included. The strongest evidence for reducing responsive behaviours was music, sensory stimulation, simulated presence and validation therapies. Exercise and light therapy improved/maintained activities of daily living, while cognitive stimulation and reminiscence improved cognition. Strongest evidence for reducing emotional disorders was music, psychological interventions and reminiscence. Conclusion: Much evidence of varying quality exists, with resource-constrained residential care providers now able to make evidence-based decisions about non-pharmacological interventions.

Background: Informal caregivers of people living with dementia experience a higher level of physical and mental stress compared with other types of caregivers. Psychoeducation programs are viewed as beneficial for building caregivers’ knowledge and skills and for decreasing caregiver stress. Objective: This review aimed to synthesize the experiences and perceptions of informal caregivers of people with dementia when participating in web-based psychoeducation programs and the factors that enable and impede informal caregivers’ engagement in web-based psychoeducation programs. Methods: This review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute protocol of systematic review and meta-aggregation of qualitative studies. We searched 4 English databases, 4 Chinese databases, and 1 Arabic database in July 2021. Results: A total of 9 studies written in English were included in this review. From these studies, 87 findings were extracted and grouped into 20 categories. These categories were further synthesized into 5 findings: web-based learning as an empowering experience, peer support, satisfactory and unsatisfactory program content, satisfactory and unsatisfactory technical design, and challenges encountered in web-based learning. Conclusions: High-quality and carefully designed web-based psychoeducation programs offered positive experiences for informal caregivers of people living with dementia. To meet broader caregiver education and support needs, program developers should consider information quality and relevancy, the support offered, individual needs, flexibility in delivery, and connectedness between peers and program facilitators.

Rationale, Aims and Objectives: The field of implementation science is critical for embedding research evidence into healthcare practice, benefiting individuals, organizations, governments, and the broader community. Implementation science is messy and complex, underpinned by many theories and frameworks. Efficacious interventions for older people with multiple comorbidities exist, yet many lack effectiveness evaluation relevant to pragmatic implementation within aged care practice. This article outlines the conceptualization and development of an Implementation Framework for Aged Care (IFAC), fit‐for‐purpose for an aged care organization, Bolton Clarke, intent on embedding evidence into practice.Method: A four‐stage process was adopted to (1) explore context and relevant literature to conceptualize the IFAC; (2) identify key elements for a draft IFAC; (3) expand elements and refine the draft in consultation with experts and (4) apply the IFAC to three existing projects, identifying key learnings. A checklist to operationalize the IFAC was then developed.Results: The IFAC is grounded in codesign principles and encapsulated by the implementation context, from a social, cultural and political perspective. The IFAC addresses the questions of (1) why do we need to change?; (2) what do we know?; (3) who will benefit?; (4) who will make the change?; (5) what strategies will be used?; and (6) what difference are we making? Three pilot projects: early adoption of a Wellness and Reablement approach; a care worker and virtual physiotherapist‐led program to prevent falls; and a therapeutic horticulture program for residential communities, highlight learnings of applying the IFAC in practice.Conclusion: This fit‐for‐purpose IFAC was developed for a proactive and responsive aged care provider. The simplicity of the six‐question IFAC is underpinned by substantial theoretical perspectives for its elements and their connections. This complexity is then consolidated into an 18‐question checklist to operationalize the IFAC, necessary to advance the translation of evidence into clinical practice.

Strong evidence exists for falls prevention, yet uptake of strategies can be fragmented and limited. For people with dementia, adoption of strategies may be impacted by changes in memory and planning. This paper describes the findings of a knowledge translation intervention for adoption of falls prevention strategies for people with dementia. Twenty-five dyads (people with dementia and their caregivers) participated in this mixed method intervention. The Knowledge to Action framework guided: collation of existing evidence into a useable format; identification of individual issues; understanding context; and evaluation of change over time. Demographic details, functional status, dementia severity, activity level, self-efficacy, falls risk and readiness to change behaviour were collected at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Goal setting and action planning using a discussion tool drove implementation. Falls rates were 5.4 falls per 1000 days for the 12-month period, with no significant change in functional capacity or self-efficacy. There was a non-significant trend towards reduced falls risk. Readiness to change behaviour for falls risk increased from 84% to 96% by 6 months, with most moving from contemplation into action (n = 16), or preparation into action (n = 36), with adoption of strategies high (82%). Engagement with the person with dementia and their caregiver, through identification of their needs and preferences, and enabling choice resulted in high adoption of falls prevention strategies.