Cognitive stimulation
Domain : Support
Category : Support and non-drug treatments
Simplified definition
A program used to help people with Alzheimer’s and related diseases enhance their mental abilities and quality of life thanks to a wide range of activities engaging cognitive functions.
Source: Houria Aiouaz, for Alzheimer Foundation
Referenced definition
“Cognitive stimulation is a psychological intervention widely used in dementia care, which offers a range of activities for people with dementia and provides general stimulation of cognitive abilities.”
Source: Aguirre E, Woods RT, Spector A, Orrell M. Cognitive stimulation for dementia: A systematic review of the evidence of effectiveness from randomised controlled trials. Ageing Research Reviews. 2013;12: 253-262.
Context
“Cognitive stimulation typically involves a set of tasks designed to reflect cognitive functions such as attention, memory, language, and problem solving, combined with a reality orientation session. This training takes place in individual or group sessions with a range of difficulty levels.”
Source: Mapelli D, Di Rosa E, Nocita R, Sava D. Cognitive Stimulation in Patients with Dementia: Randomized Controlled Trial. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra. 2013;3(1): 263-271.
Note
- Cognitive stimulation often consists of group activities such as conversations about current events, writing, reading, art, or classifying objects.
- New activities help creating new connections between neurons.
- Cognitive stimulation helps maintain neuroplasticity.
Synonym(s)
Cognitive stimulation therapyGO FURTHER
