A narrative review of community-based dementia care in India: experiences, challenges, and policy initiatives.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: India is facing a significant increase in the aging population who are at risk for dementia. This review evaluates recent literature on community-based care, focusing on caregiver experiences, challenges and policy initiatives. RECENT FINDINGS: Dementia care in India is traditionally provided by family members who take on the role of caregivers. Studies on caregiver experiences have reflected high caregiving burden and related impact on their mental health. During the pandemic, caregivers experienced several unprecedented challenges in providing care, emphasizing the need for more research on community-based dementia care across the country. Telehealth and online caregiver training were identified as viable alternatives to support community dementia care. However, it may not be a feasible mode of delivery suitable across the Indian context, underscoring the need for culturally relevant and acceptable interventions. India is currently undertaking concerted policy efforts for dementia care through multiple initiatives like the National Program for Healthcare of the Elderly, the Mental Healthcare Act, and initiatives like the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojna. These initiatives aim to address the healthcare requirements of the elderly; nevertheless, a comprehensive evaluation of their impact is yet to be discerned. SUMMARY: There is a need for comprehensive research, to inform evidence-based policy and improve dementia care systems in India. Addressing gaps in existing dementia care capacities and healthcare initiatives, along with tailoring interventions to India's diverse contexts are critical for effective community care for dementia.

Voice onset time and vowel formant measures in online testing and laboratory-based testing with(out) surgical face masks.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, conducting experiments online is increasingly common, and face masks are often used in everyday life. It remains unclear whether phonetic detail in speech production is captured adequately when speech is recorded in internet-based experiments or in experiments conducted with face masks. We tested 55 Spanish-Basque-English trilinguals in picture naming tasks in three conditions: online, laboratory-based with surgical face masks, and laboratory-based without face masks (control). We measured plosive voice onset time (VOT) in each language, the formants and duration of English vowels /iː/ and /ɪ/, and the Spanish/Basque vowel space. Across conditions, there were differences between English and Spanish/Basque VOT and in formants and duration between English /iː/-/ɪ/; between conditions, small differences emerged. Relative to the control condition, the Spanish/Basque vowel space was larger in online testing and smaller in the face mask condition. We conclude that testing online or with face masks is suitable for investigating phonetic detail in within-participant designs although the precise measurements may differ from those in traditional laboratory-based research.

An ERP investigation of accented isolated single word processing.

Previous studies show that there are differences in native and non-native speech processing (Lev-Ari, 2018). However, less is known about the differences between processing native and dialectal accents. Is dialectal processing more similar to foreign or native speech? To address this, two theories have been proposed. The Perceptual Distance Hypothesis states that the mechanisms underlying dialectal accent processing are attenuated versions of those of foreign (Clarke & Garrett, 2004). Conversely, the Different Processes Hypothesis argues that the mechanisms of foreign and dialectal accent processing are qualitatively different (Floccia et al., 2009). The present study addresses these hypotheses. Electroencephalographic data was recorded from 25 participants who listened to 40 isolated words in different accents. Event-Related Potential mean amplitudes were extracted: P2 [150-250 ms], PMN [250-400 ms] and N400 [400-600 ms]. Support for the Different Processes Hypothesis was found in different time windows. Results show that early processing mechanisms distinguish only between native and non-native speech, with a reduced P2 amplitude for foreign accent processing, supporting the Different Processes Hypothesis. Furthermore, later processing mechanisms show a similar binary difference in the processing of the accents, with a larger PMN negativity elicited in the foreign accent than the others, further supporting the Different Processes Hypothesis. Results contribute to the understanding of single word processing, in which it is uniquely difficult to extract acoustic characteristics from foreign accent, and in which foreign accented speech is associated with the largest cost, as compared to native and dialectal speech, of phonological matching between representations and acoustic input.