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THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFIT OF ACTIVITY IN DEMENTIA CARE: EVIDENCE ACROSS COUNTRIES AND SERVICE CONTEXTS
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFIT OF ACTIVITY IN DEMENTIA CARE: EVIDENCE ACROSS COUNTRIES AND SERVICE CONTEXTS

N. Regier and L.N. Gitlin
Innovation in aging, v 1(Suppl 1), pp 979-979
30 Jun 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx004.3536
url
https://academic.oup.com/innovateage/article-pdf/1/suppl_1/979/26125595/igx004.3536.pdfView
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open
url
https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx004.3536View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Abstracts
Dementia is a public health crisis that affects a staggering 47.5 million people worldwide and will quadruple in prevalence between 2010 and 2050. There is currently no imminent cure or effective pharmacotherapy, and dementia-related behavioral symptoms carry profound costs and consequences such as caregiver burden and long-term care placement. Consequently, it is vital to identify interventions that minimize behavioral occurrences and improve or sustain quality of life. One promising non-pharmacological intervention is engagement in meaningful activity, shown to increase positive emotions and attitudes toward caregivers, improve performance in activities of daily living, quality of life and well-being, and decrease neuropsychiatric symptoms. This symposium examines the evidence for and utility of activity as a therapeutic modality in dementia care in different countries and service contexts. Aravena and Gajardo will discuss the benefits of activity implementation within a public center supporting persons with dementia and their caregivers in Chile, the Kintun Program. Novelli et al., will report the outcomes of a randomized trial of a home-based activity program in Brazil on neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregiver well-being. Mamo et al. will present the therapeutic benefits of activity within a United States center for hearing-impaired persons with dementia. Regier and Gitlin examine activity engagement as a predictor of well-being, functional independence, cognitive changes, and mortality in persons with dementia participating in the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Taken as a whole, this symposium will highlight implementation challenges and cultural adaptations to optimize the benefits of activity as a therapeutic modality in dementia care.

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