Speaker
Description
Group-based cognitive stimulation (CS) intervention is the most recommended psychosocial intervention in clinical guidelines for people with mild-to-moderate dementia. However, literature showing the effectiveness did not provide information about the aspects of people who are most likely to benefit from. This study aims to identify the cognitive and non-cognitive aspects of people with dementia that can represent the most reliable variables in forecasting the effectiveness of CS interventions.
A stepped wedge cluster randomised trial was conducted. Participants were recruited through local Alzheimer’s Associations in Italy. Nine groups of approximately 5 older adults with mild-to-moderate dementia (total n=50; age M=80,42 DS=5,24; 34 female, 16 male) underwent CS treatment one a week for 20 sessions. CS effectiveness was measured before and after the beginning of the program. The outcomes included functional, cognitive (memory, language, attention, praxis, executive functions) psychological-affective indexes (personality traits, quality of life, self-efficacy, loneliness, behavioural and psychological symptoms, anxiety and depression). A series of multivariate (MANOVA) analyses of variance and post hoc analysis were performed, considering as dependent variables the cognitive and non-cognitive assessments.
The results showed an influence of sociodemographic aspects like age, gender, education level and years of work on the gain from CS. Cognitive functioning also moderated the effectiveness of the intervention. The outcomes from psychological and affective assessment on QoL, personality, loneliness and BPSD also had a significant impact on the effectiveness of the CS program. These results will be helpful to offer more effective and personalised CS interventions on individual cognitive and non-cognitive aspects.
| If you're submitting a symposium talk, what's the symposium title? | Mind, Body and Beyond: Integrated Approaches in Cognitive Decline |
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| If you're submitting a symposium, or a talk that is part of a symposium, is this a junior symposium? | No |
