SENSE-COG Asia:

An open label feasibility study of a supportive hearing intervention in dementia

Pakistan is the sixth most populated country in the world and currently has an estimated 150,000–200,000 patients with dementia (Thaver & Ahmad., 2018). Cognitive and sensory degeneration is a global public health priority in low and middle income countries (LMIC).As a consequence of worldwide demographic ageing, particularly in LMIC, there is a rapid increase in aging-related neurodegenerative conditions which lead to dementia so the overall aim of this project is “To improve outcomes in older people with dementia and hearing impairment and their care partners, in a LMIC setting (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh).

Targeted aim of this study:

To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally appropriate intervention designed to

(1) detect and support hearing function in older people with dementia and hearing impairment and

(2) increase awareness in care partners regarding co-morbid hearing and cognitive impairment.

The SENSE-Cog Asia Feasibility study is single arm open-label feasibility and acceptability study conducted with dyads (PwD and their care partner) across seven sites in three South Asian Countries who will receive a culturally adapted version of the home-based SENSE-Cog intervention over a 8 week period, called ‘Asian Supportive Hearing Intervention for Dementia’ (ASHID).

The study was conducted in seven sites across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh;

National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences Bengaluru (NIMHANS)
Schizophrenia Research Foundation Chennai (SCARF)
All India Institute of Speech and Hearing Mysuru (AIISH)
Sir William Beveridge Foundation Dhaka (SWBF)
Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning Karachi (PILL)
Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning Lahore (PILL)
Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning Rawalpindi (PILL)