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Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2026
July 12-15, 2026 | London, United Kingdom, and Online
10414
Abnormal Sensory Processing In Adults With Dementia Linked To Dementia Symptom Severity, Impaired Communication, And Caregiver Burden
Poster Presenter
Authors
Nancy Wolff, Clarissa Benzarti, Laura Henley, Susan Westneat, Elizabeth Rhodus
Affiliations
Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky; HealthPRO Heritage, Department of Epidemiology & Environmental Health, University of Kentucky, Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky; Sanders-Brown Center on Aging
Part of Topic
Background:
•Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) impact multiple areas of daily life for both people with ADRD (PwADRD) and their caregivers.
•Declining social functioning, behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia (BPSD), and sensory processing impairments are commonly observed in ADRD.
•Sensory processing impairment is not only a symptom of ADRD, but it also contributes to the expression of BPSD.
•Declining communication ability in PwADRD, which impacts social function, has also been reported as a major stressor amongst caregivers.
•Communication deficits may be associated with sensory processing impairment via degeneration of the cortical language network.
•Aim: To clarify the implications of potential relationships between BPSD, social functioning, and sensory processing impairments on caregiver burden.
Methods:
•Data were collected among adults with ADRD and their caregivers (N=102).
•Spearman correlation assessed relationships between sensory processing, BPSD, caregiver burden, and social functioning, as measured by the following assessments:
•Adult Sensory Profile (ASP)
•Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)
•Language, Community Affairs Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) subscores
•Statistical analyses and demographic data were assessed using IBM SPSS Statistics 31. Figures were created in JMP Student Edition 19.
Results:
•PwADRD had a mean Standard Global CDR of 1.55 (SD=0.80) and had functional sensory acuity, with or without aids (e.g.hearing aids, glasses).
•Low Registration type sensory processing impairment was significantly, positively associated with dementia severity (rs(45)=.434, p=.002), BPSD severity (rs(45)=.344, p=.018), and caregiver distress (rs(45)=.334, p=.022).
•Further analyses identified a significant positive relationship between Low Registration and impaired communication, as measured by both Language (rs(34)=.374, p=.024) and Community Affairs (rs(44)=.378, p=.010) CDR subscores.
Conclusion:
•This work highlights the implications of sensory processing capacity, an underexplored area, along with BPSD as associated with caregiver distress and social dysfunction.
•With a known gap in assessing sensory processing capacity, these correlations help to guide further research addressing BPSD as associated with caregiver distress and social dysfunction.
•Occupational therapy has a unique role in addressing this gap in assessing sensory processing capacity due to the wealth of experience and evidence in pediatric assessment and intervention.
•Additional exploration of sensory processing classification is warranted, as this may reveal a novel area for reducing caregiver distress.
Acknowledgements:We would like to thank everyone who has participated in this study. This research is funded through the National Institutes of Health. (NIA K23AG075262, NINDS 5R25NS130963)
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