Effect of a Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Program on Cognitive Ability of Demented Older Adults

OBJECTIVES: This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effect of a cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) program on the cognitive ability of demented older adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two nursing homes were randomly assigned as experimental and control groups. Simple random sampling technique was used to recruit 27 demented older adults from each nursing home. The experimental group received a CST program three times per week for 5 weeks. The control group received usual care. Data collection was performed from March to May, 2018. Instruments used were a Demographic Questionnaire, Mini Mental State Examination (Indonesian version), and the CST program adapted for the culture of East Java, Indonesia. Descriptive statistics were calculated for data analysis. RESULTS: Findings revealed an effect of CST on cognitive ability of demented older adults. The experimental and control groups were not significantly different before the intervention (p = 0.161). After the CST program, the mean cognitive ability score in the experimental group was significantly higher than before the program (p < 0.001). After the CST program, the mean cognitive ability score in the experimental group was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.001). The mean cognitive ability score for the control group did not differ significantly between pre-test and post-test (p = 0.058). CONCLUSION: CST improves cognitive ability in demented older adults. Nurses and health care teams can apply CST beneficially with older adults with dementia. Future research could replicate this study for different levels and types of dementia. Keywords: dementia, cognitive ability, cognitive stimulation therapy, nursing home. DOI: 10.31524/bkkmedj.2019.02.008