Keywords
Assessment
Influencing factors
Intervention
Review
Submitted : 2026-04-20
Accepted : 2026-05-05
Published : 2026-05-20
Abstract
Dementia in the elderly has emerged as a critical public health issue both in China and globally. The substantial and annually increasing number of elderly individuals with dementia poses not only significant challenges to economic and social sustainability but also exerts immense pressure on family economic ethics and social culture. In light of this, this study reviews assessment tools, risk and protective factors, and the current state of interventions for dementia in the elderly, aiming to provide insights for the identification, prevention, and intervention nursing of dementia in the elderly.
References
Zhou M, Wang H, Zeng X, et al., 2019, Mortality, Morbidity, and Risk Factors in China and Its Provinces, 1990–2017: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet, 394(10204): 1145–1158.
Zhang YQ, Wang CF, Xu G, et al., 2020, Mortality of Alzheimer’s Disease Patients: A 10-Year Follow-up Pilot Study in Shanghai. Can J Neurol Sci, 47(2): 226–230.
Alzheimer Disease International, 2019, World Alzheimer Report 2019: Attitudes to Dementia, visited on 2021-05-11, https://www.alzint.org/resource/world-alzheimer-report-2019/
Jia L, Du Y, Chu L, et al., 2020, Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Management of Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Adults Aged 60 Years or Older in China: A Cross-sectional Study. Lancet Public Health, 5(12): e661–e671.
Xu J, Wang J, Wimo A, et al., 2017, The Economic Burden of Dementia in China, 1990–2030: Implications for Health Policy. Bull World Health Organ, 95(1): 18–26.
Jia J, Wei C, Chen S, et al., 2018, The Cost of Alzheimer’s Disease in China and Re-estimation of Costs Worldwide. Alzheimers Dement, 14(4): 483–491.
National Health and Family Planning Commission, 2017, Full Text of the “Healthy China 2030” Plan Outline. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House.
Ye L, Liang R, Zhang X, 2023, Management and Prevention of Dementia. Practical Geriatrics, 37(06): 626–629 + 634.
Writing Group for the Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia and Cognitive Disorders, Cognitive Disorder Disease Professional Committee of the Neurology Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, 2018, 2018 Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia and Cognitive Disorders (Part III): Cognitive and Functional Assessment of Dementia. Chinese Medical Journal, 98(15): 1125–1129.
Folstein F, Folstein E, McHugh R, 1975, “Mini-mental State”: A Practical Method for Grading the Cognitive State of Patients for the Clinician. J Psychiatr Res, 12(3): 189–198.
Jia J, Wang Y, Zhang Z, et al., 2011, Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia and Cognitive Disorders (Part III): Selection of Scales for Neuropsychological Assessment. Chinese Medical Journal, 2011(11): 735–741.
Nasreddine S, Phillips A, Bédirian V, et al., 2005, The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA: A Brief Screening Tool for Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Am Geriatr Soc, 53(4): 695–699.
Tang J, Xiao J, 2011, Application and Comparison of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale and the Mini-Mental State Examination in Screening for Cognitive Impairment. Journal of Practical Hospital Clinical, 8(2): 193–195.
Hughes P, Berg L, Danziger L, et al., 1982, A New Clinical Scale for the Staging of Dementia. Br J Psychiatry, 140: 566–572.
Yang Y, Jia J, Morris J, 2018, Application of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale. Chinese Journal of Geriatrics, 37(4): 365–366.
Chiu Y, Li C, Lin K, et al., 2008, Sensitivity and Specificity of the Clock Drawing Test, Incorporating Rouleau Scoring System, as a Screening Instrument for Questionable and Mild Dementia: Scale Development. Int J Nurs Stud, 45(1): 75–84.
Karin A, Hannesdottir K, Jaeger J, et al., 2014, Psychometric Evaluation of ADAS-Cog and NTB for Measuring Drug Response. Acta Neurol Scand, 129(2): 114–122.
Wang Z, Zhou Y, Tan W, 2023, Dementia Assessment in Japan’s Long-Term Care Insurance System and Its Implications for China. General Nursing, 21(13): 1755–1759.
Jiao P, 2020, Research on the Methodology and Supporting Conditions for Establishing Nursing Grade Assessment Standards in Japan. Social Security Review, 4(4): 72–89.
Tang-Wai F, Knopman S, Geda Y, et al., 2003, Comparison of the Short Test of Mental Status and the Mini-Mental State Examination in Mild Cognitive Impairment. Arch Neurol, 60(12): 1777–1781.
Holthoff V, Ferris S, Ihl R, et al., 2011, Validation of a Relevant Outcome Scale for Alzheimer’s Disease: A Novel Multidomain Assessment for Daily Medical Practice. Alzheimers Res Ther, 3(5): 27.
Semrau M, Burns A, Djukic-Dejanovic S, et al., 2015, Development of an International Schedule for the Assessment and Staging of Care for Dementia. J Alzheimers Dis, 44(1): 139–151.
Alexopoulos G, Abrams R, Young R, et al., 1988, Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. Biol Psychiatry, 23: 271–284.
Black B, Johnston D, Rabins P, et al., 2013, Unmet Needs of Community-Residing Persons with Dementia and Their Informal Caregivers: Findings from the Maximizing Independence at Home Study. J Am Geriatr Soc, 61(12): 2087–2095.
Sun N, Jia R, Guo C, et al., 2021, Psychometric Properties of the Long-Term Care Needs Questionnaire for Older Chinese Adults with Dementia. Jpn J Nurs Sci, 18(1): e12367.
Liu G, Liu Y, Guo H, et al., 2019, Visual Analysis of Research Hotspots in International Dementia Care. Journal of Nursing, 15: 2–3.
People’s Daily Online, 2022, World Brain Health Day: China’s “Brain Health Initiative” Launched, Seizing the “Window of Opportunity”.
Dong X, Guo C, Zhao L, 2017, Current Status and Optimization Strategies of Care Services for Elderly Individuals with Dementia in China. Health Economics Research, 2017(01): 47–49.
Livingston G, Sommerlad A, Orgeta V, et al., 2017, Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care. Lancet, 390(10113): 2673–2734.
Livingston G, Huntley J, Sommerlad A, et al., 2020, Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care: 2020 Report of the Lancet Commission. Lancet, 396(10248): 413–446.
Crous-Bou M, Minguillón C, Gramunt N, et al., 2017, Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention: From Risk Factors to Early Intervention. Alzheimers Res Ther, 9(1): 71.
Skrobot O, Black S, Chen C, et al., 2018, Progress toward Standardized Diagnosis of Vascular Cognitive Impairment: Guidelines from the Vascular Impairment of Cognition Classification Consensus Study. Alzheimers Dement, 14(3): 280–292.
Baumgart M, Snyder H, Carrillo M, et al., 2015, Summary of the Evidence on Modifiable Risk Factors for Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Population-Based Perspective. Alzheimers Dement, 11(6): 718–726.
Pasqualetti G, Tognini S, Calsolaro V, et al., 2015, Potential Drug-Drug Interactions in Alzheimer Patients with Behavioral Symptoms. Clin Interv Aging, 10: 1457–1466.
Licher S, de Bruijn R, et al., 2017, Vitamin D and the Risk of Dementia: The Rotterdam Study. J Alzheimers Dis, 60(3): 989–997.
Tao M, Guo H, Ji X, et al., 2024, Long-term Trends in Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias Deaths with High Body Mass Index in China from 1990 to 2019, and Projections up to 2042. Arch Public Health, 82(1): 42.
Liu H, 2023, Prevention of Senile Dementia. Family Medicine, 2023(11): 42–43.
Grande G, Vanacore N, Maggiore L, et al., 2014, Physical Activity Reduces the Risk of Dementia in Mild Cognitive Impairment Subjects: A Cohort Study. J Alzheimers Dis, 39(4): 833–839.
Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2015, National Action Plan for Dementia: Alzheimer’s Disease 2015–2020, visited on 2022-03-15, https://www.alzheimer-europe.org/Policy/National-Dementia-Strategies/Greece.
Ninan R, Cohen I, Adashi E, 2024, State Approaches to Stopping Violence Against Health Care Workers. JAMA, 331(10): 825–826.
Larsson S, Traylor M, Malik R, et al., 2017, Modifiable Pathways in Alzheimer’s Disease: Mendelian Randomisation Analysis. BMJ, 359: j5375.
Santos G, Nunes P, Stella F, et al., 2015, Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Program: Effects of a Multimodal Intervention for Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Cognitive Impairment Without Dementia. Dement Neuropsychol, 9(4): 389–395.
Saragih I, Tonapa S, Saragih I, et al., 2022, Effects of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for People with Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies. Int J Nurs Stud, 128: 104181.
Liu Z, Ling Y, Tu P, et al., 2023, Meta-analysis of the Intervention Effects of Structured Individual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy on Patients with Mild to Moderate Dementia. Chinese Journal of Nursing, 58(15): 1878–1884.
Li X, 2023, An Applied Study on the Effect of Five-Tone Therapy on the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Elderly Patients with Kidney Essence Deficiency, thesis, Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Zhou X, Liu W, Zhao F, 2023, Research Progress on the Treatment of Dementia with Auricular Acupressure. Guangming Traditional Chinese Medicine, 38(20): 4088–4091.
Guo H, 2022, Traditional Chinese Medicine Care for Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention and Treatment Association, China Committee of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics. Proceedings of the 2022 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, 1.
Gale SA, Acar D, Daffner KR, 2018, Dementia. Am J Med, 131(10): 1161–1169.
World Health Organization, 2019, Risk Reduction of Cognitive Decline and Dementia: WHO Guidelines, visited on 2022-04-05, https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/312180/9789241550543-eng.pdf?ua=1.
Wang D, Liu Y, Zhu X, et al., 2022, Action Plans for Dementia Prevention and Treatment by WHO and 25 Countries (Regions) and Their Implications for China. Chinese General Practice, 25(25): 3075–3082 + 3096.
Luo C, Xu J, Lv F, 2019, Implications of the Care for Elderly People with Dementia in Austria for China. Chinese General Practice, 22(09): 1004–1008.
Larnyo E, 2021, Research on the Use of Wearable Medical Devices by Dementia Patients in Ghana and Their Impact on Patients’ Quality of Life, thesis, Jiangsu University.
Spagnolo P, Aricò M, Bergamelli C, et al., 2015, A Pilot Study on the Behavioral and Cognitive Effects of Cognitive Stimulation Training Based on 3R Mental Stimulation: The Treviso Dementia (TREDEM) Study. Neuro Rehabilitation, 36(1): 151–156.
Hou X, 2024, A Study on the Cognitive Improvement of Elderly People with Mild Dementia through Group Work Intervention, thesis, Henan Agricultural University.
Lin C, Zhang S, Lin Q, 2023, The Application of Reality Orientation Training Combined with 3R Intervention in Elderly Patients with Dementia. Qilu Nursing Journal, 29(05): 135–137.
Shao S, 2022, The Impact of the 3R Nursing Model on Cognitive Function and Quality of Life in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. Guangming Traditional Chinese Medicine, 37(05): 883–885.
Qin M, 2023, Research on Early Symptom Intervention for Elderly People with Dementia Based on 3R Therapy, thesis, Nanjing Agricultural University.
Tisher A, Salardini A, 2019, A Comprehensive Update on the Treatment of Dementia. Semin Neurol, 39(2): 167–178.