Category: Dementia – Meaningful Activity

Dementia is a clinical syndrome with a number of different causes which is characterised by deterioration in cognitive, behavioural, social and emotional functions. Pharmacological interventions are available but have limited effect to treat many of the syndrome’s features. Less research has been directed towards non-pharmacological treatments. In this review, we examined the evidence for effects of music-based interventions as a treatment.

Providing people with dementia with at least five sessions of a music-based therapeutic intervention probably reduces depressive symptoms but has little or no effect on agitation or aggression. There may also be little or no effect on emotional well-being or quality of life, overall behavioural problems and cognition. We are uncertain about effects on anxiety or social behaviour, and about any long-term effects. Future studies should employ larger sample sizes, and include all important outcomes, in particular ‘positive’ outcomes such as emotional well-being and social outcomes. Future studies should also examine the duration of effects in relation to the overall duration of treatment and the number of sessions.

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Dementia is usually diagnosed in later life but can occur in younger people. The experiences of those with older-onset dementia are relatively well understood but little is known about the experiences of those with young-onset dementia (aged less than 65 years). Diagnosis felt unexpected, ‘out of time’ and led to changes in self-identity, powerlessness and changes in relationships

Social exclusion was common. Loss of meaningful activity exacerbated a difficult situation. However, the diagnosis did not mean people’s lives were over and many with YOD try to regain control by seeking connections with others with the same condition – sometimes a very important source of support. Overall, people living with YOD face unique social challenges which go beyond those of older people living with dementia and which result in an even greater negative impact on their lives. Interventions that facilitate peer support and allow people with YOD to engage in meaningful activity should be developed and could perhaps be provided by the voluntary sector.

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Literature regarding Montessori-based activities with older adults with dementia is fairly common with early stages of dementia. Conversely, research on said activities with individuals experiencing late-stage dementia is limited because of logistical difficulties in sampling and data collection. Given the need to understand risks and benefits of treatments for individuals with late-stage dementia, specifically regarding their mental and behavioral health, this study sought to evaluate the effects of a Montessori-based activity program implemented in a long-term care facility.
Improvements observed for quality of life and problem behaviors may yield promise for Montessori-based activities and related health care practices. The rapid physiological and cognitive deterioration from late-stage dementia should be considered when interpreting these results.

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Recent studies suggest that combined non-pharmacological interventions are more beneficial than single interventions for primary and secondary prevention of dementia. We previously reported enhanced effects of physical exercise with music (ExM) on cognitive function in normal elderly people compared to exercise alone. The objective of this research was to identify if ExM improves cognitive function and activities of daily living (ADLs) in dementia patients over cognitive stimulation (CS). Conclusion: ExM produced greater positive effects on cognitive function and ADLs in patients with mild to moderate dementia than CS, excluding memory. Optimal interventions for dementia will likely be achieved by combining ExMand CS.

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Music therapy (MT) is a nonpharmacological way with a long history of use and a fine usability for dementia patients. In this review, we will summarize different techniques, diverse clinical trials, and the mechanisms of MT as it is helpful to the cognition in AD, providing reference for future research. Many articles have demonstrated that MT can reduce cognitive decline especially in autobiographical and episodic memories, psychomotor speed, executive function domains, and global cognition. MT is a promising intervention for strategy of dementia especially of AD and it must be started as early as possible. However, more evidences with prospective, randomized, blinded, uniform and rigorous methodological investigations are needed. And we should consider to combine MT with other cognitive stimulations such as dance, physical exercise, video game, art and so on.

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This study was conducted to better understand how activities may impact quality of life on dementia care units. Researchers observed dementia care units, and looked into how different activity types impacted emotional affect in the person with dementia, and how they elicited different levels of positive staff interaction. Results indicated that there were significantly higher levels of positive affect from participants on certain activity types, compared to no activity. Activities that had high levels of staff to client interactions had more positive affective outcomes. Researchers concluded that quality activities should consider the environment, staff ratio, staff communication and interaction, engagement of clients, and adaptability of the activity to the individual interest and ability of client.

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Reminiscence integrating individual experiences into therapeutic schemes has shown potential in the field of improving cognitive functions and depressive symptoms for dementia patients, and interactive music also demonstrated a positive outcome by using individualized music for the hearing aspect. The authors of this paper hypothesize that an individualized multisensory stimulation in a natural and realistic environment integrating personal experience may be an effective intervention for patients suffering from dementia.

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Cognitive stimulation, which slow down the rate of deterioration can benefit people with dementia and their caregivers. This article describes a pilot study that evaluated the feasibility of computer-based cognitive stimulation through a spoken natural language interface. Prototype software was evaluated with 23 users, including healthy elderly people and people with dementia. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

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This scoping study was commissioned to explore issues in relation to meaningful activities for people with both dementia and sight loss living in both community and residential settings.

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Objectives: To test the effects of a 15-month wheelchair-bound resistance band exercise program on depression and behavioral problems of wheelchair-bound older adults with dementia. Results: By the sixth month of the study, experimental group participants were significantly less depressed and had fewer behavioral problems than control group participants. These small but statistically significant differences persisted throughout the 9 months of the DVD-guided sessions. Conclusion: Volunteer-led sessions followed by DVD-guided sessions of resistance band exercise is effective and practical in institutional settings.

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