Publications

Read publications from DREAMS START collaborators

We conducted a study funded by the NIHR Award ID: 14/220/06 to develop DREAMS START and conduct initial feasibility and acceptability testing.

Livingston, G., Barber, J. A., Kinnunen, K. M., Webster, L., Kyle, S. D., Cooper, C., … & Rapaport, P. (2019). DREAMS-START (Dementia RElAted Manual for Sleep; STrAtegies for RelaTives) for people with dementia and sleep disturbances: a single-blind feasibility and acceptability randomized controlled trial. International Psychogeriatrics, 31(2), 251-265. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610218000753
Rapaport, P., Webster, L., Horsley, R., Kyle, S. D., Kinnunen, K. M., Hallam, B., … & Livingston, G. (2018). An intervention to improve sleep for people living with dementia: Reflections on the development and co-production of DREAMS: START (Dementia RElAted Manual for Sleep: STrAtegies for RelaTives). Dementia, 17(8), 976-989. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218789559
Kinnunen, K. M., Rapaport, P., Webster, L., Barber, J., Kyle, S. D., Hallam, B., … & Livingston, G. (2018). A manual-based intervention for carers of people with dementia and sleep disturbances: an acceptability and feasibility RCT. Health Technology Assessment (Winchester, England), 22(71), 1. https://doi.org/10.3310/hta22710
Kinnunen, K. M., Vikhanova, A., & Livingston, G. (2017). The management of sleep disorders in dementia: an update. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 30(6), 491-497. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000370

Clinical effectiveness

Rapaport, P., Amador, S., Adeleke, M., Barber, J., Banerjee, S., Bhojwani, A., … & Livingston, G. (2026). The clinical and cost-effectiveness of improving sleep via carer delivered strategies in people with dementia: the DREAMS START parallel multi-centre RCT. Health Technology Assessment (Winchester, England), 30(17), 1. https://doi.org/10.3310/GJPR2620
Rapaport, P., Amador, S., Adeleke, M. O., Barber, J. A., Banerjee, S., Charlesworth, G., … & Livingston, G. (2024). Clinical effectiveness of DREAMS START (Dementia Related Manual for Sleep; Strategies for Relatives) versus usual care for people with dementia and their carers: a single-masked, phase 3, parallel-arm, superiority randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Healthy Longevity, 5(10). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanhl.2024.08.004

Cost effectiveness

Gonzalez, L., Rapaport, P., Livingston, G., Amador, S., Adeleke, M. O., Barber, J. A., … & Hunter, R. M. (2025). Cost–utility analysis of the DREAMS START intervention for people living with dementia and their carers: a within-trial economic evaluation. The Lancet Healthy Longevity, 6(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanhl.2025.100708

Protocol

Rapaport, P., Amador, S., Adeleke, M., Banerjee, S., Barber, J., Charlesworth, G., … & Livingston, G. (2024). Clinical and cost-effectiveness of DREAMS START (Dementia RElAted Manual for Sleep; STrAtegies for RelaTives) for people living with dementia and their carers: a study protocol for a parallel multicentre randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open, 14(2), e075273. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-075273

Process evaluation and mechanisms

Amador, S., Livingston, G., Adeleke, M., Barber, J., Webster, L., Yuan, H., … & Rapaport, P. (2025). Process evaluation in a randomised controlled trial of DREAMS-START (dementia related manual for sleep; strategies for relatives) for sleep disturbance in people with dementia and their carers. Age and Ageing, 54(3), afaf053. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afaf053

Long term (2 year follow up) Funded by North Thames ARC

Rapaport, P., Adeleke, M. O., Barber, J. A., Gonzalez, L., Hunter, R., Manela, M., … & Livingston, G. (2026). The DREAMS START intervention for sleep in dementia: Long‐term follow‐up of a randomized controlled trial. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 22(3), e71274. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71274

Adaptation and implementation of DREAMS START

Rapaport, P., Muralidhar, M., Amador, S., Mukadam, N., Bhojwani, A., Beeson, C., & Livingston, G. (2025). Sleep disturbances and dementia in the UK South Asian community: a qualitative study to inform future adaptation of the DREAMS-START intervention. Geriatrics, 10(5), 121. https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics10050121
Mehta, V., Rapaport, P., & Livingston, G. (2025). Barriers and facilitators to implementing DREAMS: START intervention for sleep disturbance in dementia within the NHS: A pre-implementation study. medRxiv, 2025-10. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.29.25339056
Rapaport, P., Bhojwani, A., Webster, L., Amador, S., Muralidhar, M., & Livingston, G. (2025). Long-term health conditions and their impact on people with sleep disturbances and dementia. BMC geriatrics, 25(1), 376. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-025-06045-x

Koren, T., Fisher, E., Webster, L., Livingston, G., & Rapaport, P. (2023). Prevalence of sleep disturbances in people with dementia living in the community: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing Research Reviews, 83, 101782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2022.101782
Webster, L., Costafreda Gonzalez, S., Stringer, A., Lineham, A., Budgett, J., Kyle, S., … & Livingston, G. (2020). Measuring the prevalence of sleep disturbances in people with dementia living in care homes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep, 43(4), zsz251. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsz251

Livingston, G., Rapaport, P., Sekitani, T., Manela, M., Sommerlad, A., Nezu, T., … & Ikeda, M. (2026). EEG monitoring at home for sleep: A feasibility and usability study. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 34(3), 401-404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2025.11.018
Webster, L., Costafreda, S. G., Powell, K., & Livingston, G. (2022). How do care home staff use non-pharmacological strategies to manage sleep disturbances in residents with dementia: the SIESTA qualitative study. PLoS One, 17(8), e0272814. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272814
Webster, L. A., Costafreda, S. G., Barber, J. A., Kyle, S. D., & Livingston, G. (2022). Care home residents with dementia: Prevalence, incidence, and associations with sleep disturbance in an English cohort study. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, 8(1), e12251. https://doi.org/10.1002/trc2.12251
Webster, L., Martin, A., & Livingston, G. (2020). The minimum clinically important difference on the sleep disorders inventory for people with dementia. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 35(11), 1418-1423. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.5384
Webster, L., Powell, K., Costafreda, S. G., & Livingston, G. (2020). The impact of sleep disturbances on care home residents with dementia: the SIESTA qualitative study. International Psychogeriatrics, 32(7), 839-847. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610220000642