Cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety in people with dementia: a clinician guideline for a person-centered approach.

Charlesworth et al. (2015) wrote a step-by-step manual for 10 sessions of CBT. The plan is made for older adults who have both dementia and anxiety.

The authors added memory aids, shorter exercises, and caregiver tips. They call the package 'person-centered' because it fits each client's remaining strengths.

The paper shows the protocol only. It does not give outcome numbers. No results on whether anxiety went down are reported.

Matson et al. (2013) came first. Their 'Peaceful Mind' manual also used CBT for dementia anxiety and did show positive numbers in a small trial. Charlesworth et al. (2015) extends that idea by adding more detail for clinicians.

Chan et al. (2017) ran a 10-session group too, but used mindfulness instead of CBT. Both manuals last 10 weeks and serve mild-to-moderate dementia, showing that short weekly programs are feasible.

Channell et al. (2022) took a different path. They treated anxiety in autism with single-case DRA, not CBT. The two studies do not clash; they simply show behavior analysts have more than one tool for anxiety across populations.

You now have a ready-made CBT roadmap when an older client with dementia shows worry, pacing, or repeated questions. Borrow the memory aids, keep sessions short, and involve caregivers. Track anxiety with simple ratings to see if the package works in your own practice.