GREAT trial

GREAT was a large randomised controlled trial funded by the National Institute for Health Research, conducted in eight centres throughout England and Wales, which aimed to provide definitive evidence about the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of goal oriented cognitive rehabilitation for people with early stage Alzheimer’s disease, vascular, or mixed dementia and their carers. In GREAT, the cognitive rehabilitation therapy involve d 10 home based sessions with a therapist over three months, followed by four maintenance sessions over the following six months. Over the course of the 10 weekly sessions, participants with dementia worked in collaboration with a therapist to address up to three personal rehabilitation goals, where possible supported by a family carer. They also explore d ways of managing anxiety and stress and improving concentration, and reviewed and improved on existing coping strategies. There were 475 participants with dementia, each with a care partner, included in the trial, and 427 participants (90%) completed the trial. Cognitive rehabilitation was found to be effective in enabling people with early stage dementia to improve their everyday functioning in relation to individual goals targeted in the therapy sessions.

Brief summary of GREAT trial findings in the NIHR Signals.

Full report describing the GREAT trial.