Pleasant Events-Based Behavioral Intervention for Depression in Nursing Home Residents

The Pleasant Events Schedule – Nursing Home Version: A useful tool for behavioral interventions in long-term care

“…Event participation was unrelated to negative affect, suggesting that activity engagement is linked to depression through its impact on positive affect. This finding is consistent with previous research on activity and depression among older adults and with the conceptual underpinnings of behavioral intervention for depression (Meeks & Depp, 2002).…”

“…Although multiple psychological interventions have been developed for treating depression among older adults (see Scogin, Welsh, Hanson, Stump, & Coates, 2005 for a review), only recently have researchers begun to develop and test interventions that can be adapted to nursing home settings. Psychosocial interventions appear to be particularly promising (Snowden, Sato, & Roy-Byrne, 2003), and behavioral treatments, in particular, may be well suited for these settings (Meeks & Depp, 2002;Meeks, Looney, Van Haitsma, & Teri, 2008). Behavioral interventions have as one of their primary targets an increase in number and breadth of pleasant activities (Lejuez, Hopko, LePage, Hopko, & McNeil, 2001;Lewinsohn, 1974), and implementation requires tools for systematically assessing pleasant events.…”

Behavioral Treatment for Depressed Mood: A Pleasant Events Intervention for Seniors Residing in Assisted Living

“…The prevalence of depression in nursing home residents and other frail populations is extremely high (Meeks & Depp, 2002), with nearly 50% of the nursing home population experiencing significant depressive symptoms. Although less is known about the general prevalence of depression in assisted living facilities, two recent studies have documented the point prevalence of clinical depression in these settings.…”

Bridging the Intergenerational Gap in Therapeutic Activity Delivery Between Younger Professional Caregivers and Older Adults Living With Dementia

“…Building on these conclusions, Meeks and Depp (2002) suggest that improved relationships between staff and residents may reduce negative affect and that pleasant event interventions have the potential to "[tip] the balance in the direction of mental health" (p. 135).…”

“…Research indicates that residents who suffer from dementia are less likely to interact socially (Kolanowski et al, 2002), are more susceptible to depression (Meeks & Depp, 2002;Teri & Logsdon, 2000), and are increasingly unable to learn new tasks. We propose here that younger caregivers' lack of cohort-specific knowledge or lack of skill in how to choose and use an intervention are barriers to engagement and social interaction.…”