Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) of dementia are common and may be driven by inability of persons with cognitive impairment (CI) to communicate needs. We addressed the relevance of this unmet-needs model to burden of NPS among persons with milder CI. METHODS: The sample included 48 dyads of persons with CI and their care partners. NPS were measured at baseline and follow-up (mean 486 days +/-107 SD). Mixed random and fixed effects longitudinal models were used to evaluate impact of discrepancies between persons with CI and their care partners in everyday preferences (baseline) on changes in NPS over time. RESULTS: Higher levels of underestimation of "social engagement" preferences of persons with CI by care partners were associated with a higher average burden of NPS across all follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that unmet-needs may be a useful construct for understanding etiology for NPS across the spectrum of severity of cognitive impairment.