Arteterapia en la mejora del bienestar cognitivo en pacientes con demencia. Revisión de la literatura

Introduction

Dementia affects fifty million individuals worldwide. It includes emotional problems and decreased motivation that interfere with daily life. In recent years, art therapy has been proposed to improve the physical and psychological well-being of these patients.

Objective

The objective of this review is to update the information on the efficacy of art therapy in the cognitive and psychological well-being of patients with dementia.

Method

A bibliographic search was carried out in Pubmed, Lilacs, IBECS and CENTRAL databases following the PRISMA recommendations. Studies conducted in the last 5 years, in Spanish or English, with full text and high methodological quality are selected.

Results

Art therapy with painting, visual art therapy, visual arts education program and remote expressive arts program are effective in patients with dementia. The total number of studies in the review was five. The frequency of the sessions was one per week, the total number of sessions was 8–12, and the duration of the program ranged from 6 to 12 weeks.

Conclusion

There are few quality art therapy items that have been shown to be effective for the patient and their caregiver. However, some reviewed studies show some kind of benefit in cognitive and psychological well-being and quality of life. For this reason, research in this field must be increased.