LAUSR

Introduction Illness awareness in dementia has a substantial impact on psychopathology, daily functioning, and treatment adherence. Although there is an extensive literature on illness awareness in dementia, there are still many inconsistencies and knowledge gaps that have implications for clinical practice. Methods One such inconsistency is that illness awareness is characterized in different terms: as anosognosia (the lack of awareness of having a disorder or disability), metacognition (a patient's knowledge about their perceptions, memories, decisions, and actions), or insight (a multidimensional construct). Illness awareness is also complicated by cultural and psychological factors: for instance, denial may serve as both an impediment to care (reducing treatment adherence) and a protective factor (mitigating depression/anxiety about having a chronic illness). The task of defining illness awareness and its role in dementia is complex, as is the prospect of developing interventions that might improve illness awareness and subsequent clinical outcomes. Results This poster will review the current literature with four primary aims: (1) To examine the various definitions of illness awareness and to explore the potential for developing a brief, valid instrument to assess illness awareness during routine clinic visits. (2) To identify specific neurocognitive and demographic variables that serve as predictors of illness awareness in dementia. (3) To address how impairments of illness awareness affect patient-caregiver interactions, patient well-being, symptom severity, the trajectory of illness, treatment adherence, morale, and the willingness to accept help. (4) To explore whether illness awareness and/or its predictor variables have been found to be modifiable by intervention, which interventions are most effective, and what clinical benefits they could provide. Conclusions For each of the above aims, we will summarize the principal findings in the literature and identify steps for future research. Funding New York State Department of Health, Center of Excellence Grant.