Journal
AGING & MENTAL HEALTH
Volume 24, Issue 9, Pages 1381-1393Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2019.1617246
Keywords
Systematic review; primary progressive aphasia; intervention; functional communication; speech and language therapy
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Funding
- National Institute for Health Research [DRF-2015-08-182]
- Alzheimer's Society
- Alzheimer's Research UK
- NIHR UCLH Biomedical Research Centre
- National Institutes of Health Research (NIHR) [DRF-2015-08-182] Funding Source: National Institutes of Health Research (NIHR)
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Objectives: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a language led dementia characterised by progressive speech and language difficulties. Impairment focused PPA interventions that seek to remediate, alleviate or improve symptoms, dominate the research literature. Yet speech and language therapists (SLTs) report prioritising functional communication interventions (FCIs), which target engagement in an activity and participation in life situations. This systematic review investigates the research literature on FCIs for PPA to identify the key components of these interventions and their effectiveness. Method: A systematic search of databases identified 19 studies published between 1998 and 2018. Data were extracted from the articles using the Intervention Taxonomy adaptation (ITAX). Results: Results show that the two most common components of FCIs are to build on communication strategies people currently use, and to practise these strategies with a communication partner. There are variations in the interventions, such as location and dosage. All 19 studies report improvements, of which eight report statistically significant results. Forty-two different measures are used across the 19 studies. Conclusion: This study highlights that building on existing strategies and practising these with a CP, are key components of FCIs for people with PPA, yet there remains a lack of clarity around optimal dosage. Further rigorous research using a core set of outcome measures is a priority in this area.
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