ADIA: Alzheimer’s disease-specific intervention of advance care planning

Principal investigator: Prof. Ralf Jox
Researchers: Dre Anca Sterie et Dre Francesca Bosisio
Co-investigator: Dre Eve Rubli Truchard

Duration: 2016-2019
Funding: Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences

Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia can reduce the decision-making capacity of people with the disease. Therefore, it is particularly important for people with dementia to think ahead about their care preferences and discuss them with their loved ones.

This project seeks to explore the feasibility of early-intervention Advance Care Planning in patients with cognitive impairment indicative of Alzheimer's type dementia or other types of dementia, while they still retain their decision-making capacity. This intervention intends to promote reflection on their care preferences and to facilitate the drafting of advance directives.

People with Alzheimer's disease and their loved ones benefit from 2-3 meetings with a qualified facilitator who discusses the most common health problems associated with neurocognitive diseases. This is an opportunity to discuss the patient's values and care preferences, thus empowering them to talk to their relatives, doctors and caregivers, anticipate their choices and identify who could represent them if they are no longer able to express themselves. In order to assess the appropriateness of this process, a meeting with a researcher is scheduled before and after the conversations with the specialist counsellor, to obtain information about the participants’ experiences of the process. These meetings last between 40-60 minutes and are conducted at a time that is convenient for the participants.

The project is completed.

• Bosisio F, Sterie A, Rubli Truchard E, Jox RJ. 2021. "Implementing advance care planning in dementia care: results and insights from a pilot interventional trial". BMC Geriatrics 21(573) DOI: 0.1186/s12877-021-02529-8.