Table 1.
Baseline participant demographics, clinical characteristics, and medication exposures of persons living with dementia
| Characteristica | Care Ecosystem | Usual Care |
|---|---|---|
| Persons living with dementia | N = 304 | N = 186 |
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 77.4 (8.6) | 76.5 (9.8) |
| Female | 176 (57.9) | 90 (48.4) |
| Race | ||
| White | 243 (79.9) | 161 (86.6) |
| African American | 15 (4.9) | 5 (2.7) |
| Asian | 21 (6.9) | 10 (5.4) |
| Other or mixed | 4 (1.3) | 1 (0.5) |
| Not reported | 21 (6.9) | 9 (4.8) |
| Ethnicity | ||
| Not Hispanic or Latinx | 272 (89.4) | 167 (89.8) |
| Hispanic or Latinx | 30 (9.9) | 19 (10.2) |
| Not reported | 2 (0.7) | 0 |
| Preferred Language | ||
| English | 282 (92.8) | 180 (96.8) |
| Spanish | 14 (4.6) | 4 (2.2) |
| Cantonese | 8 (2.6) | 2 (1.0) |
| Region of Residence | ||
| California | 181 (59.5) | 106 (57.0) |
| Nebraska/Iowa | 123 (40.5) | 80 (43.0) |
| Educational Level | ||
| College graduate or higher | 156 (51.3) | 105 (56.4) |
| Some college | 61 (20.1) | 34 (18.3) |
| High school graduate | 59 (19.4) | 40 (21.5) |
| Less than high school | 28 (9.2) | 7 (3.8) |
| Dementia Stageb | ||
| Mild | 182 (59.9) | 110 (59.1) |
| Moderate | 93 (30.6) | 55 (29.6) |
| Advanced | 29 (9.5) | 21 (11.3) |
| Number of comorbiditiesc, mean (SD) | 2.8 (1.90) | 2.6 (1.8) |
| Medication exposures | ||
| Number of medicationsd, mean (SD) | 10.4 (5.2) | 10.3 (5.0) |
| ≥5 medications | 271 (89) | 167 (90) |
| ≥10 medications | 158 (52) | 92 (49) |
| Number of potentially inappropriate medicationsd, mean (SD) | 1.5 (1.6) | 1.4 (1.5) |
| PIMs for dementia or cognitive impairmente, mean (SD) | 0.4 (0.8) | 0.4 (0.7) |
| CNS-active PIMse, mean (SD) | 1.4 (1.4) | 1.3 (1.3) |
| Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale scoref, mean (SD) | 1.6 (2.0) | 1.4 (1.6) |
| 0 | 114 (37.5) | 71 (38.2) |
| 1 | 75 (24.7) | 47 (25.3) |
| ≥ 2 | 115 (37.8) | 68 (36.5) |
| Antipsychoticse, mean (SD) | 0.2 (0.4) | 0.2 (0.4) |
| Benzodiazepinese, mean (SD) | 0.1 (0.3) | 0.1 (0.3) |
| Opioidse, mean (SD) | 0.2 (0.5) | 0.2 (0.4) |
Unless otherwise indicated, data are the number (percentage) of study participants in the specified category.
Dementia stage was based on the Quick Dementia Rating Scale using cut points that have been validated to correspond to Clinical Dementia Rating Scale scores of 1 or less for mild, 2 for moderate, and 3 for advanced or severe.[31]
Self-reported comorbidities were summarized by participant across 16 medical comorbidities.
Total number of medications includes prescription and over-the-counter medications, dietary supplements and herbal products, that are scheduled or taken as needed.
Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) were defined using American Geriatrics Society 2019 Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults. CNS-active PIMs include PIMs for persons with dementia or cognitive impairment, delirium, or history of falls or fractures were also defined by the 2019 Beers Criteria and include antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and opioids.[23]
Medications with anticholinergic properties were defined using the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) Scale.[27] ACB scores were summarized by participant for each anticholinergic medication prescribed.