Does the Meeting Centres Support Programme reduce unmet care needs of community-dwelling older people with dementia? A controlled, 6-month follow-up Polish study

Figures & data

Figure 1 Recruitment strategy: numbers of research participants with dementia recruited to the Meeting Centres Support Group and the Usual Care Group in Poland.

Table 1 Characteristics of people with dementia from MCSP and UC groups and their carers

Socio-demographic characteristics	PwD MCSP (n=24)	PwD UC (n=23)	Carer MCSP (n=22)	Carer UC (n=20)
<a>Sex (n [%n])
<a>Male	7 (29.2)	6 (26.1)	6 (27.3)	7 (35)
<a>Female	17 (70.8)	17 (73.9)	16 (72.7)	13 (65)
Age (mean ± SD)	78.0±5.6	78.4±7.9	60.5±15.1	59.0±12.7
<a>Marital status (n [%n])
<a>Married	11 (45.8)	13 (56.5)	16 (72.7)	14 (70.0)
<a>Widowed	12 (50.0)	10 (43.5)	–	1 (5.0)
<a>Single	1 (4.2)	–	3 (13.6)	4 (20.0)
<a>Divorced	–	–	2 (9.1)	1 (5.0)
<a>Cohabiting	–	–	1 (4.5)	–
Level of qualification (n [%n])
Higher education	11 (45.8)	4 (17.4)	15 (68.2)	13 (65.0)
Vocational level 3	10 (41.7)	13 (56.5)	6 (27.3)	6 (30.0)
Vocational level 2	1 (4.2)	3 (13.1)	1 (4.5)	–
Qualification at level 1 and below	2 (8.3)	2 (8.7)	–	1 (5.0)
No qualifications	–	1 (4.3)	–	–
<a>Relationship person-carer (n [%n])
<a>Spouse/partner	9 (37.5)	8 (34.8)
<a>Child	10 (41.7)	13 (56.5)
<a>Siblings	1 (4.2)	–
<a>Other family relationship	4 (16.6)	2 (8.7)
MMSE (mean ± SD)	20.81±3.69	21.13±3.69
<a>GDS(mean ± SD)	3.73±1.03	3.43±1.28

Abbreviations: MCSP, Meeting Centres Support Programme; PwD, people with dementia; UC, Usual Care.

Table 2 Average needs (met and unmet) and the level of support from the people with dementia (MCSP: n=24; UC: n=23) and their carers (MCSP: n=22; UC: n=20) perspective at baseline and follow-up (after 6 months)

Needs	Baseline follow-up		Baseline follow-up		Baseline follow-up		Baseline follow-up
	PwD MCSP	PwD MCSP	PwD UC	PwD UC	C MCSP	C MCSP	C UC	C UC
	(mean ± SD)
Total needs	5.00±2.83	5.25±2.02	5.17±2.71	6.30±2.58	7.68±2.34	7.75±2.42	7.80±3.24	8.95±3.42
Total met needs	3.37±1.76	5.05±1.73	3.96±2.20	4.80±1.76	5.27±2.33	7.70±2.39	5.55±2.43	6.42±2.54
Total unmet needs	1.62±2.10	0.20±0.52	1.22±1.35	1.50±1.47	2.41±1.65	0.05±0.22	2.25±1.48	2.53±1.54
Informal support	8.96±6.88	10.00±5.17	11.87±8.11	14.75±8.16	18.04±7.56	17.01±7.49	19.65±10.59	22.37±10.94
Formal support	2.71±2.56a	7.70±3.88	4.96±2.90a	5.90±3.97	5.64±4.98	12.40±5.83	6.20±3.59	7.58±4.48

Note:

a Significant difference in perceived needs and the level of support at baseline between participants with dementia and carers in the MCSP and UC groups.

Abbreviations: C, carers; MCSP, Meeting Centres Support Programme; PwD, people with dementia; UC, Usual Care.

Table 3 Changes in needs experienced by people with dementia (MCSP: n=24; UC: n=23) after 6 months – a multivariate general linear model with interaction between time and group

Needs	Total			Met			Unmet
	B	SE	P-value	B	SE	P-value	B	SE	P-value
Intercept	5.00	0.53	<0.0001	3.37	0.38	<0.0001	1.62	0.31	<0.0001
Time	−0.32	0.28	0.25	1.47	0.35	0.0002	−1.61	0.31	<0.0001
Control	0.17	0.76	0.82	0.58	0.55	0.29	−0.41	0.44	0.36
Interaction	1.47	0.39	0.0006	−0.65	0.50	0.20	1.93	0.44	0.0001
Support	Formal			Informal
	B	SE	P-value	B	SE	P-value
Intercept	2.71	0.67	0.0002	8.96	1.48	<0.0001
Time	4.83	0.59	<0.0001	−0.23	0.88	0.80
Control	2.25	0.96	0.023	2.91	2.11	0.17
Interaction	−3.92	0.85	<0.0001	3.38	1.24	0.0095

Abbreviations: B, Spearman–Brown Coefficient; MCSP, Meeting Centres Support Programme; SE, standard error.

Table 4 Changes in experienced needs from the carers’ (MCSP: n=22; UC: n=20) perspective after 6 months – a multivariate general linear model with interaction between time and group

Needs	Total			Met			Unmet
	B	SE	P-value	B	SE	P-value	B	SE	P-value
Intercept	7.68	0.61	<0.0001	5.27	0.51	<0.0001	2.41	0.29	<0.0001
Time	−0.18	0.27	0.52	2.25	0.36	<0.0001	−2.38	0.29	<0.0001
Control	0.25	0.87	0.77	0.34	0.74	0.65	−0.12	0.42	0.77
Interaction	1.29	0.39	0.002	−1.49	0.53	0.007	2.72	0.42	<0.0001
Support	Formal			Informal
	B	SE	P-value	B	SE	P-value
Intercept	5.64	1.02	<0.0001	18.04	1.95	<0.0001
Time	6.57	0.79	0.116	−1.71	0.93	0.075
Control	0.47	1.47	0.749	1.93	2.79	0.49
Interaction	−5.23	1.16	<0.0001	4.38	1.35	0.003

Abbreviations: B, Spearman–Brown coefficient; MCSP, Meeting Centres Support Programme; SE, standard error.

Table 5 Number of people with dementia (MCSP: n=24; UC: n=23) and carers (MCSP: n=22; UC: n=20) that reported unmet needs for each of the CANE areas at baseline and follow-up (after 6 months)

Unmet needs	Baseline (%)		Follow-up (%)		Baseline (%)		Follow-up (%)
	PwD MCSP	PwD UC	PwD MCSP	PwD UC	Carer MCSP	Carer UC	Carer MCSP	Carer UC
Accommodation	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Household activities	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1 (5.3)
Food	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Self-care	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Caring for another	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Daytime activitiesa	9 (37.5)	6 (30)	0 (0)	6 (30)	16 (72.7)	11 (55)	0 (0)	11 (55)
Memorya	5 (20.8)	4 (17)	0 (0)	3 (13)	8 (36.4)	6 (30)	0 (0)	7 (36.8)
Eyesight/hearing	1 (4.2)	1 (4.3)	1 (5)	3 (15)	0 (0)	2 (10)	0 (0)	3 (15.8)
Mobility/falls	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1 (5)	0 (0)	1 (5)	0 (0)	1 (5.3)
Incontinence	0 (0)	1 (4.3)	0 (0)	1 (5)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Physical healtha	3 (12.5)	2 (8.7)	1 (5)	1 (5)	1 (4.5)	2 (10)	0 (0)	1 (5.3)
Drugs	1 (4.2)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1 (4.5)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Psychotic symptoms	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1 (4.3)	1 (4.5)	1 (5)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Psychological distressa	7 (29.2)	7 (30.4)	1 (5)	9 (45)	10 (45.5)	9 (45)	1 (5)	10 (52.6)
Information on condition	2 (8.3)	0 (0)	1 (5)	1 (5)	1 (4.5)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Deliberate self-harm	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Accidental self-harm	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Abuse/neglect	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Behavior	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Alcohol	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Companya	6 (25)	7 (30.4)	0 (0)	6 (30)	12 (54.5)	11 (55)	0 (0)	10 (52.6)
Intimate relationshipsa	5 (20.8)	2 (8.7)	0 (0)	2 (10)	3 (13.6)	2 (10)	0 (0)	3 (15.8)
Managing money	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1 (5.3)
Benefits	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)

Note:

a Most common unmet needs at baseline and follow-up in percentage of participants.

Abbreviations: MCSP, Meeting Centres Support Programme; PwD, people with dementia; UC, Usual Care.