Effectiveness of group reminiscence therapy for people living with dementia in a day care centers in Taiwan

A scoping review on the psychosocial interventions used in day care service for people living with dementia

BACKGROUND

Adult Day care centres provide an important aspect of care provision through all phases of the dementia illness from diagnosis to the end of life (Dabelko HI 2008) supporting the well-being of both older people living with dementia and their care partners. Services within adult day care settings are designed to provide biopsychosocial health benefits to participants as well as care partner respite.

OBJECTIVE

To examine research studies, literature reviews and grey literature and identify and map the literature on psychosocial interventions used in day care services for older people living with dementia and chart their use, evaluation and outcomes. The research review question is "what are the psychosocial interventions used in day care service for older people living with dementia?" Psychosocial interventions are important non-pharmacological interventions which support people's wellbeing.

METHODS

Inclusion/Exclusion criteria were identified and guided the search strategy. Participants were people aged 60 years and over living with dementia attending day care services. The use of psychosocial interventions for this cohort was the focus of the review. Databases were searched (Cochrane Reviews, CINAHL, Embase, Medline EBSCO, Medline Ovid, Medline PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Open Grey, Lenus and WHO Global Index Medicus databases) using keywords/terms with Boolean operators from 2011 to 2023. Rayyan was used to extract and manage the data.

RESULTS

The findings present a narrative and charting of the data from the 45 papers that met the review criteria, and this data is mapped onto the five objectives. Within this review, interventions were grouped into five broad types: nature (n = 6 papers), memory/cognitive (n = 11 papers), social (n = 17 papers), animal (n = 4 papers), or physical/sensory (n = 7 papers) based interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

This review has illustrated the wide variety in the types, range and facilitation of psychosocial interventions within adult day care services. This review highlights the potential benefits of these interventions. However, findings must be considered in the context that many were provided as brief intervention studies with little evidence of continuation after the study and further research is required given the complex and diverse range of interventions. Results will be of interest to practitioners planning to implement or evaluate psychosocial interventions used in day care services for older people living with dementia.

Effects of reminiscence therapy in people with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT ON THE SUBJECT?: Alternative option was developed to improve care due to the increasing costs of care cost and the number of people diagnosed with dementia. Reminiscence therapy is a commonly implemented alternative option used in long-term care facilities. Reminiscence therapy is designed for cognitive decline that is also known as life review. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Reminiscence therapy, known as psychosocial interventions in dementia care, can be used to assist people with dementia recollect prior events, activities, and experiences in order to improve their cognitive, mood, and overall well-being. Reminiscence therapy increased cognitive function and quality of life and reduced depressive and neuropsychiatric symptoms among people with dementia. Reminiscence therapy may be considered a useful non-pharmacological intervention for people with dementia living in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. The development of a global standard protocol for the application of reminiscence therapy may be necessary for future randomized controlled trials (RCTs). ABSTRACT: Introduction Reminiscence therapy is an alternative to pharmaceutical intervention provided during long-term care, especially for individuals with dementia. However, the effects of reminiscence therapy in dementia care remain inconclusive. Aim The goal of this study is to examine the effects of reminiscence therapy implementation in people with dementia. Design Systematic literature review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Methods This study searched systematically using 6 databases. The eligibility criteria included patients with dementia, applied reminiscence therapy, randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies, and published in the English language. The PEDro scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. The meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to calculate the pooled effects of reminiscence therapy. Stata 16.0 was used for statistical analysis. Result A total of 29 studies met the eligibility criteria, including 3102 participants. Overall, reminiscence therapy increased cognitive functions and quality of life and decreased depression and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Implication for Practice Reminiscence therapy may be considered a useful non-pharmacological intervention for people with dementia living in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. A standard protocol for reminiscence therapy may be necessary for future studies.

Uses of reminiscence intervention to address the behavioral and psychosocial problems associated with dementia: An integrative review

INTRODUCTION

Reminiscence is a non-pharmacological technique used to manage the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. This integrative review aims to synthesize the research on the health benefits of reminiscence intervention for people with dementia.

METHODS

Whittemore and Knafl's five-step method provided the framework for this review. A comprehensive search of PubMed, CINAHL Plus, SCOPUS, and PsycINFO was conducted. The articles were reviewed for eligibility, critically appraised, and extracted the data.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Four themes emerged: (a) Recovery from the Darkness of Depressive Symptoms, (B) Enhancement of Cognitive Functions and Filling the Memory Gap, (C) Living a Fulfilling Life in Late Adulthood, and (D) Fulfilling Reminiscence Functions.

DISCUSSION

This review provides a better understanding of the potential benefits of using reminiscence intervention for addressing the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. However, improving the methodological rigor of future studies is necessary to attain conclusive evidence.

Memory matters in dementia: Efficacy of a mobile reminiscing therapy app

INTRODUCTION

Reminiscence therapy has been shown to improve mental health and quality of life in dementia; however, reminiscence therapy is often delivered by therapists instead of being technology-enabled. This study evaluated the preliminary efficacy of Memory Matters (MM), an iPad reminiscence game on mood, social interaction, quality of life, and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.

METHODS

This pilot study used an experimental design where participants were randomized on a 2:2:1 ratio to three arms: individual MM (one-on-one with an interventionist), group MM (2-3 participants per session), or waitlist control. MM was delivered for 30 minutes a session, twice a week for six weeks, followed by six-week self-play. Outcomes were assessed at the baseline, six weeks, and 12 weeks by data collectors blinded to group allocation. Data were analyzed using intention-to-treat analysis and analysis of covariance.

RESULTS

The sample (n = 80) was 82.1 ± 7.8 years in age with 58% female, 15.3 ± 3.3 years of education. Mood did not differ, except for apathetic mood between group MM and control arm at 12 weeks (P = .051). Social interaction improved for individual MM compared with group MM (t = 2.38, P = .017) and control (t = 2.84, P = .005) at six weeks, but not 12 weeks. Other outcomes did not differ.

DISCUSSION

MM improved social interaction and possibly mood. Future studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of MM with a sufficient sample size.

Effects of structured group reminiscence therapy on the life satisfaction of institutionalized older adults in Taiwan

Health issues common among older adults living in institution settings include poor life satisfaction and depression conditions. Engagement in appropriate group reminiscence therapy programs could alleviate these health issues among older adults in long-term care institutions. This study tested the effectiveness of a structured group reminiscence therapy protocol on the life satisfaction of institutionalized older adults. A quasi-experimental design was applied. A convenience sample of older adults was drawn from two nursing homes in southern Taiwan. Participants were assigned to intervention or control groups based on the nursing homes they attended. The participants in the intervention group carried out group reminiscence therapy for 8 weeks in addition to their daily activities. The participants in the control group maintained their daily activities. Both groups were evaluated using a life-satisfaction scale including two aspects of life worries and situations in weeks 1, 8, and 12. The overall life satisfaction increased significantly over time for the intervention group compared to the control group from week 1 to week 8. The structured group reminiscence therapy programs showed promising effects in improving the life satisfaction of older adults living in nursing homes.