Affecting nearly 5.4 million older adults in the United States and 35.6 million individuals worldwide, dementia is one of the greatest public health crises of our time. As a result, helping professionals, clients, and care partners seek effective and affordable treatment. Developed in the United Kingdom by Spector and colleagues, Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is a non-pharmacologic psychosocial group intervention for persons with dementia. To expand upon and fill the gaps within existing research, the authors developed a descriptive study to assess the impact of CST on cognition, quality of life, and depression, among six CST groups (n = 40). A paired sample t-test was run among pre- and post-test measures. There was a statistically significant difference in Saint Louis University Mental Status Exam (SLUMS) scores after CST (t = 2.80, p = 0.008). There was also a statistically significant difference in Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia scores (t = -3.36, p = 0.002). There was no statistically significant difference in Quality of Life scores.
Keywords: Cognitive stimulation therapy; dementia; non-pharmacological intervention.