The Outcomes of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) for Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Cognitive Decline in Taiwan

Abstract

Aim: To assess the impact of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) on cognition, quality of life, and mood in Taiwanese elders with cognitive impairment attending a day care center. Methods: Twenty-five adults aged 65 years and older were assigned into the CST (n =12) and control (n = 13) groups. Weekly 90-minute CST sessions for 14 weeks were conducted by occupational therapists and occupational therapist students. The Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale—Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog), the Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used for pre- and posttest measurements. Within- and between-group comparisons of test scores were performed. Results: Significant between-group differences were found for the ADAS-Cog change scores. Specifically, there was significant cognitive improvement for participants in CST group at posttest, with no observable change for the controls. No significant pre-/postgains were noted in the QoL-AD and HADS scores for the 2 groups. Conclusion: The once-a-week CST approach seems to be a viable alternative to twice-a-week CST for community-dwelling older adults with mild to moderate cognitive deficits. Further investigation is required to determine the optimal dose of CST for the elderly.

Effectiveness of Cognitive Stimulation Personalized by the Preexisting Cognitive Level in Older Adults

“…This improvement occurred regardless of their cognitive baseline level, which is supported by the scientific literature, which shows that cognitive stimulation is effective in the various phases of aging from normal to pathological. 24 Besides, the group with cognitive impairment improved more than the others, possibly due to the greater existing room for improvement. 25,26 This study also showed that the group that received the personalized cognitive stimulation program had a higher rate of maintenance of normal cognitive function.…”

“…Participants were randomized into 2 groups: the intervention group (IG) and the control group (CG). A stratified randomization was carried out based on the scores obtained in the MEC 35 scale (validated Spanish version of the Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]) 14 : NC (30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35); borderline (25)(26)(27)(28)(29); and MCI (20)(21)(22)(23)(24). A therapist who was independent of the study carried out the randomization.…”

Cognitive Effects of a Cognitive Stimulation Programme on Trained Domains in Older Adults with Subjective Memory Complaints: Randomised Controlled Trial

“…In our investigation, we have identified other studies that also report improvements in the cognitive domain of memory. Some studies have achieved these results after single-domain training that only includes training of memory strategies and meta-memory in their intervention [ 25 , 58 , 59 , 60 ], whilst other authors who administered CS for treatment of SMC also found improvements in memory [ 52 ]. These strategies, which have also been used in our intervention methodology (but in our case reinforced in each cognitive domain), emphasise learning and control over the cognitive processes of memory, helping older adults to understand aspects and processes of their memory [ 61 , 62 ].…”

Efectos Del Entrenamiento Cognitivo En La Autopercepción Cognitiva De Una Muestra De Adultos Mayores Del Norte De Chile.

“…En cuanto a los resultados de autopercepción cognitiva, se logró corroborar que existe una variación positiva significativa luego de un programa de entrenamiento cognitivo intensivo de 15 días de ejecución, resultados que contrastan con los obtenidos por (Tsai, Chun Lee, Chieh Lai, & Chou, 2008). Esta gran diferencia se puede explicar al considerar que las medidas para establecer variabilidad en el grupo control de la investigación de (Tsai, Chun Lee, Chieh Lai, & Chou, 2008) solo contempla los puntajes utilizados para valorar calidad de vida, lo que se aprecia como insuficiente según los argumentos previamente expuestos.…”