Is watching television a realistic leisure option for people with dementia?

Usability of films designed for people with dementia in a nursing home setting

Although films and television are frequently used in nursing homes, there is limited knowledge of how they affect people with dementia. Life in the Memories is a collection of 50 short films targeted at people with dementia. The overall objective of the study was to assess the usability of these films in nursing homes and whether they can be used for reminiscence purposes. Workshops were carried out in seven nursing homes, followed by four weeks of practice testing. Data were obtained from 63 professional caregivers working with residents with dementia through a cross-sectional survey and focus group interviews. The results consistently indicated that the films can maintain the attention of people with dementia, evoke memories, and create conversation. Compared to classic reminiscence activities, caregivers rate the use of the films as easier and less time consuming. The study supported that the films can be utilized for recreational and reminiscence purposes.

Television viewing and cognitive decline in older age: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

There has been significant interest in the effects of television on cognition in children, but much less research has been carried out into the effects in older adults. This study aimed to explore whether television viewing behaviours in adults aged 50 or over are associated with a decline in cognition. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging involving 3,662 adults aged 50+, we used multivariate linear regression models to explore longitudinal associations between baseline television watching (2008/2009) and cognition 6 years later (2014/2015) while controlling for demographic factors, socio-economic status, depression, physical health, health behaviours and a range of other sedentary behaviours. Watching television for more than 3.5 hours per day is associated with a dose-response decline in verbal memory over the following six years, independent of confounding variables. These results are found in particular amongst those with better cognition at baseline and are robust to a range of sensitivity analyses exploring reverse causality, differential non-response and stability of television viewing. Watching television is not longitudinally associated with changes in semantic fluency. Overall our results provide preliminary data to suggest that television viewing for more than 3.5 hours per day is related to cognitive decline.

Capturing Interactive Occupation and Social Engagement in a Residential Dementia and Mental Health Setting Using Quantitative and Narrative Data

Objectives: Despite an abundance of research acknowledging the value of interactive occupation and social engagement for older people, and the limits to these imposed by many residential settings, there is a lack of research which measures and analyzes these concepts. This research provides a method for measuring, analysing and monitoring interactive occupation and social engagement levels of residents in a secure residential setting for older people with mental health problems and dementia. It proposes suggestions for changes to improve the well-being of residents in residential settings. Method: In this case study design, the Assessment Tool for Occupational and Social Engagement (ATOSE) provided a ‘whole room’ time sampling technique to observe resident and staff interactive occupation and social engagement within the communal sitting room over a five-week period. Researchers made contemporaneous notes to supplement the ATOSE data and to contextualise the observations. Results: Residents in the sitting room were passive, sedentary, and unengaged for 82.73% of their time. Staff, who were busy and active 98.84% of their time in the sitting room, spent 43.39% of this time in activities which did not directly engage the residents. The physical, social and occupational environments did not support interactive occupation or social engagement. Conclusions: The ATOSE assessment tool, in combination with narrative data, provides a clear measurement and analysis of interactive occupation and social engagement in this and other residential settings. Suggestions for change include a focus on the physical, social, occupational, and sensory environments and the culture of care throughout the organization.