The effectiveness of cognitive stimulation therapy on cognitive functions and quality of life in people with Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia, is a chronic and progressive degenerative disorder. It affects cognitive functions, social interactions, and quality of life. It is expected that by 2041, the elderly population in Iran will be around 25%. So, a cognitive stimulation therapy protocol has been introduced with a framework for maintaining cognitive abilities and improving quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive stimulation therapy in cognitive function and quality of life in people with Alzheimer's disease.

the research method was a semi-experimental pre-test and post-test with a control group. 24 Alzheimer's patients who were residing in Tehran's elderly care and treatment centers were selected by available sampling. They were randomly assigned into two groups; an experimental group (interventional technique: cognitive stimulation therapy) and a control group. Measurement tools consisted of a MMSE cognitive test questionnaire, The Mini Cog test, CDR memory test, and QOL-AD questionnaire.

results of multivariate covariance analysis showed that there was a significant difference between experimental and control groups in cognitive function and this showed that therapy is effective. Also, cognitive stimulation therapy, both directly and intermediately, increased the quality of life in the experimental group compared to the control group (P = 0.001).

Cognitive stimulation therapy, as an effective non-pharmacologic intervention, can be used to improve the cognitive status and quality of life in people with Alzheimer's disease.