Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST): effects on different areas of cognitive function for people with dementia

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 1253-1258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee Spector ◽  
Martin Orrell ◽  
Bob Woods
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy ◽  
People With Dementia

scholarly journals An evaluation of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy sessions for people with dementia and a concomitant support group for their carers

Dementia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 985-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Bailey ◽  
Paul Kingston ◽  
Simon Alford ◽  
Louise Taylor ◽  
Edward Tolhurst
Keyword(s):  
Support Groups ◽  
Support Group ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Impact

This research aimed to ascertain the impact of a pragmatic Cognitive Stimulation Therapy course of 10 sessions on the cognitive function of people living with dementia and whether attending a concomitant carers support group was beneficial to carers. A mixed method quasi-experimental approach was adopted; data were collected pre- and post-intervention. The quantitative arm utilised three validated questionnaires rated by the carers. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews with carers regarding their perceptions of the impact of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy and the carers support group. Quantitative data analysis found no statistically significant differences within or between groups. The qualitative data demonstrated that carers perceived Cognitive Stimulation Therapy had some benefits for the people living with dementia, especially social benefits. Carers also perceived that attending the carers support group was beneficial for them in terms of gaining a better understanding of dementia, developing coping skills and having peer support. The study was limited in scale and further research with a larger sample, using direct measures of the impact of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy with people living with dementia and supplementary research exploring which characteristic of carers support groups are effective would be worthwhile.

scholarly journals Cognitive stimulation therapy in dementia care: exploring the views and experiences of service providers on the barriers and facilitators to implementation in practice using Normalization Process Theory

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1869-1878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Dickinson ◽  
Grant Gibson ◽  
Zoe Gotts ◽  
Lynne Stobbart ◽  
Louise Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Intervention ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Normalization Process Theory ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Process Theory ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Normalization Process

ABSTRACTBackground:Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is an evidence-based, cost-effective psychosocial intervention for people with dementia but is currently not a standard part of post-diagnostic care. This qualitative study explored the views and experiences of dementia care providers on the barriers and facilitators to its implementation in usual care.Method:Thirty four semi-structured interviews (24 participants) were conducted across four dementia care sites in the North of England; ten were follow-up interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and then mapped to the Normalization Process Theory framework.Results:Participants considered CST a “good fit” with their “preferred” ways of working and goals of dementia care namely the provision of person-centered services. For facilitators delivering the intervention, compared to other behavioral interventions, CST was seen to offer benefits to their work and was easy to understand as an intervention. Training in CST and seeing benefits for clients were important motivators. Time and resources were crucial for the successful implementation of CST. Participants were keen to objectively measure benefits to participants but unsure how to do this.Conclusions:CST is a cost-effective psychosocial intervention for people with dementia, recommended by national guidance. Despite our findings which show that, using the NPT framework, there are more facilitators than barriers to the implementation of CST, it is still not a standard part of post-diagnostic dementia care. Further research is needed to explore the reasons for this implementation gap in ensuring evidence-based care in translated into practice.

scholarly journals An evaluation of community-based cognitive stimulation therapy: a pilot study with an Irish population of people with dementia

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Kelly ◽  
S. Finan ◽  
M. Lawless ◽  
N. Scully ◽  
J. Fitzpatrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Community Based ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Moderate Dementia ◽  
Subjective Cognitive Function

ObjectivesResearch shows that cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) improves cognitive function, quality of life, and well-being of people with mild–moderate dementia. Despite consistent evidence and recommendations, CST is not routinely available in Ireland post-diagnosis. The aim of the current research was to develop and evaluate community-based CST for people with mild–moderate dementia, run by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland across four pilot sites in Ireland.MethodsParticipants with mild–moderate dementia attended once weekly CST sessions for 14 weeks. Baseline and post-intervention assessments were completed by CST participants, carers, and CST facilitators. Primary outcomes of interest for CST participants included quality of life (Quality of Life in Alzheimer Disease Scale), cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and subjective cognitive function (Memory Awareness Rating Scale-Functioning Subscale). Secondary outcomes included well-being, cognitive ability, satisfaction with cognitive performance, and engagement and confidence of CST participants; well-being of carers; and job satisfaction of facilitators. Post-intervention interviews supplemented quantitative analyses.ResultsIn total, 20 CST participants, 17 carers, and six CST facilitators completed evaluation assessments. Results showed that CST improved participants’ satisfaction with cognitive performance (p=0.002), level of engagement (p=0.046), level of confidence (p=0.026). Improvements on subjective cognitive function just fell short of significance (p=0.055). Qualitative analysis of interview data identified consistent themes of cognitive and overall benefits of CST; and provided support for quantitative data.ConclusionsCommunity-based CST positively impacted the lives of people with dementia and their families. This study supports prior recommendations that CST should be made routinely available to people with mild–moderate dementia, particularly in light of the lack of post-diagnostic interventions currently offered in Ireland.

Describing and measuring the ‘switch-on’ effect in people with dementia who participate in cognitive stimulation therapy: A mixed methods study

2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 316-325
Author(s):  
Qi Liu ◽  
Margaret Jones ◽  
Clare Hocking
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Group Intervention ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Mixed Methods Design ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive

Introduction Cognitive stimulation therapy is an evidence-based group intervention for promoting cognition and quality of life in people with dementia. This New Zealand study aimed to describe and measure the ‘switch-on’ effect, a recently reported benefit involving enhanced participation. Method A convergent parallel mixed methods design was implemented. Interviews guided by qualitative descriptive methodology were conducted with four community-dwelling men with mild dementia and their wives, before, during and after cognitive stimulation therapy. Concomitantly, participants with dementia were scored on the Volitional Questionnaire following a single-subject A–B design. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed using NVivo-assisted thematic analysis and descriptive statistics respectively and conjointly. Findings ‘Switch-on’ was found to be multi-dimensional in nature, with increased engagement and expanded scope in Doing, Feeling, Relating, and Thinking and Reflecting. ‘Switch-on’ occurred with a noticeable onset within 3 weeks, which was sustained and consolidated towards completion of cognitive stimulation therapy in both group and home environments. Three men showed concurrent improvements on the achievement sub-scale of the Volitional Questionnaire. However, the measure did not effectively capture ‘switch-on’ due to its ceiling effect. Conclusion Findings about ‘switch-on’ suggest broader, under-researched benefits of cognitive stimulation therapy that merit further exploration from an occupational therapy perspective.

scholarly journals Mixed methods implementation research of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) for dementia in low and middle-income countries: study protocol for Brazil, India and Tanzania (CST-International)

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e030933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee Spector ◽  
Charlotte R Stoner ◽  
Mina Chandra ◽  
Sridhar Vaitheswaran ◽  
Bharath Du ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Implementation Research ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Implementation Plans

IntroductionIn low/middle-income countries (LMICs), the prevalence of people diagnosed with dementia is expected to increase substantially and treatment options are limited, with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors not used as frequently as in high-income countries (HICs). Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is a group-based, brief, non-pharmacological intervention for people with dementia that significantly improves cognition and quality of life in clinical trials and is cost-effective in HIC. However, its implementation in other countries is less researched. This protocol describes CST-International; an implementation research study of CST. The aim of this research is to develop, test, refine and disseminate implementation strategies for CST for people with mild to moderate dementia in three LMICs: Brazil (upper middle-income), India (lower middle-income) and Tanzania (low-income).Methods and analysisFour overlapping phases: (1) exploration of barriers to implementation in each country using meetings with stakeholders, including clinicians, policymakers, people with dementia and their families; (2) development of implementation plans for each country; (3) evaluation of implementation plans using a study of CST in each country (n=50, total n=150). Outcomes will include adherence, attendance, acceptability and attrition, agreed parameters of success, outcomes (cognition, quality of life, activities of daily living) and cost/affordability; (4) refinement and dissemination of implementation strategies, enabling ongoing pathways to practice which address barriers and facilitators to implementation.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been granted for each country. There are no documented adverse effects associated with CST and data held will be in accordance with relevant legislation. Train the trainer models will be developed to increase CST provision in each country and policymakers/governmental bodies will be continually engaged with to aid successful implementation. Findings will be disseminated at conferences, in peer-reviewed articles and newsletters, in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Disease International, and via ongoing engagement with key policymakers.

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