People with dementia and depression, their carers, and course facilitators reported that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy had several beneficial effects, including a sense of shared suffering, greater present-moment awareness, positive emotional changes such as increased self-compassion, and reduced anxiety for carers. Specific aspects like facilitator characteristics and certain mindfulness practices were especially useful, while carer involvement, cognitive difficulties, and barriers to home practice affected engagement. Facilitators noted adaptations they made and suggested further modifications. The findings suggest mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is potentially useful for depression in dementia but requires additional adaptation.
Depression and dementia are major public health problems, and depression in early-stage dementia is common, reducing quality of life and speeding cognitive decline. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an effective depression prevention programme, and emerging evidence suggests adapted mindfulness interventions may benefit people with dementia by reducing depressive symptoms and slowing deterioration in cognitive functions such as sustained attention and task switching. This single-blind randomised controlled feasibility trial will recruit participants with mild to moderate depression and early-stage dementia from memory services, giving them immediate or delayed access to an 8-week MBCT programme. The study will test trial design, recruitment, retention, acceptability, and adherence, and provide preliminary efficacy data to inform a future full RCT.