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Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) for people with dementia: who benefits most?
- Author:
- AGUIRRE E.
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 28(3), 2013, pp.284-290.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
National guidelines in the UK recommend that cognitive stimulation programmes should be available for people with mild to moderate dementia. However it is not clear what factors might impact on the effectiveness of this intervention. A total of 272 people with dementia (mean age 82.6 years, 61% female) took part in a 7-week CST intervention; 14 sessions lasting 45 minutes. The average attendance was 10 sessions. Half the participants were community dwelling the remainder were recruited from care homes in the south of England. Assessments were carried out pre-treatment and post-treatment (n=236) and the results compared with those of a previous comparable randomised control trial. CST improved cognition and quality of life; the benefits were independent of whether or not people were taking acetylcholinesteraseinhibitor (AChEI) medication. Increasing age was associated with cognitive benefits, as was female gender. Care home residents improved more than community residents in terms of quality of life, but the community sample seemed to benefit more in relation to behaviour problems. The authors conclude that CST improves cognition and quality of life for people with dementia, particularly older female participants. They suggested that consideration should be given to discovering aspects of CST may enhance the benefits for younger men with dementia.