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Mental, physical and social activities may delay dementia
01 December 2011
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Physical and mental group therapy activities can delay the progression of mild-to-moderate dementia in elderly people in care homes.
Researchers looked into the effectiveness of a special programme of activities called MAKS that aims to help people with dementia keep their physical and mental abilities. They took a group of almost 100 elderly people from several care homes in Germany and split them into two groups; one that received their usual care and the other that received the MAKS programme and their usual care.
After 12 months, the researchers found that for the people taking part in the MAKS programme, their condition remained the same and that their condition had not deteriorated. However, for the group receiving standard care, their dementia had progressed.
Graham Stokes, Director of Dementia Care, Bupa Care Services, said: “The results from this well conducted study are encouraging and in some ways remarkable as preserved cognitive function and ability over 12 months is reported. MAKS is time-consuming and requires staff attention, but could be carried out by carers in care homes and does not cause any of the side-effects or long-term complications that can be associated with taking medicines. I think this study highlights the importance of maintaining a rounded approach to the care of people with dementia. The more interaction, involvement and activity that is available to people with dementia living in care homes and that is similar to how they lived their lives before they developed their condition, the better for their intellectual functioning and wellbeing.
“It’s also important to note that the best results were found in people with mild-to-moderate dementia rather than those with severe dementia. This is consistent with similar programmes, such as Cognitive Stimulation Therapy and suggests that implementing programmes, such as MAKS, early in the disease process is more beneficial than later on. Thus, there remains a need to find effective interventions for people with advanced dementia.”
The MAKS programme used in this study involved doing a variety of activities for two hours a day, every day, six days a week. Groups of no more than 10 residents were led by a trained carer in each home. Daily sessions started with a song or discussion to help the residents feel part of the group. They moved on to doing mental tasks, including solving word jumbles or matching symbols into pairs. The residents then did some physical exercise, such as passing a ball to each other or balancing. Finally, they practised a daily activity task, such as making a snack or light gardening.
Key facts
- In 2010, there were an estimated 35.6 million people with dementia worldwide. By 2050, it is projected that this figure will have increased to over 115 million.
- Dementia is a broad term that describes a set of symptoms caused by a gradual loss of brain function. The symptoms include memory loss, mood changes and problems with communication.
- Dementia is a progressive disease, which means it gets worse over time. In the later stages, people with dementia become unable to do everyday things and will need increasing amounts of support.
How can we help you?
Find out more about dementia
Read our dementia guide including information on the different types of dementia, what to expect, where to get help and advice on choosing a suitable care home.
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Read the study
Graessel E, Stemmer R, Eichenseer B, et al. Non-pharmacological, multicomponent group therapy in patients with degenerative dementia: a 12-month randomized, controlled trial. BMC Medicine (in press). www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed
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