Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jul;20(5):1553-1564.
doi: 10.1177/1471301220954611. Epub 2020 Sep 7.

Cognitive stimulation therapy for dementia: Provision in National Health Service settings in England, Scotland and Wales

Ellen Holden  1 , Charlotte R Stoner  2 , Aimee Spector  1
Affiliations

Cognitive stimulation therapy for dementia: Provision in National Health Service settings in England, Scotland and Wales

Ellen Holden et al. Dementia (London). 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives: Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is a brief, non-pharmacological intervention for people with dementia, with an established evidence base for improving cognition and quality of life. It is widely implemented in National Health Service (NHS) settings, but little is known about its naturalistic use. The aim of this survey was to identify and explore inclusion criteria, dose and quality of CST across services in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales).Methods: All NHS memory clinics and services for people with dementia were contacted and asked to complete a mixed methods online survey on CST delivery in their service. Questions were centred on who provided CST, who received CST, the dose of CST and any outcomes that were routinely measured.Results: A total of 57/186 services responded, giving a response rate of 30.7%. While the majority reported offering CST (87.7%), there was variability in how this was delivered. Differing inclusion criteria included the use of varying cognitive and behavioural outcome measures, and CST was reported as being offered once and twice weekly. Services also differed in how they evaluated the quality of CST and how this evidence was incorporated for future sessions.Conclusion: While there was a low response rate, this survey indicates that there is significant variability in how CST is used in clinical practice, with many trusts not adhering to the evidence base. To ensure that people with dementia are consistently offered evidence-based, high-quality CST across NHS settings, further standardisation of inclusion criteria, dose and outcomes is needed.

Keywords: Alzheimer; cognition; implementation; memory clinic; psychosocial.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Aguirre E., Spector A., Streater A., Hoe J., Woods B., Orrell M. (2011). Making a difference 2: An evidenced-based group programme to offer cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) to people with dementia. Hawker Publications.
    1. Braun V., Clarke V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101.
    1. Clarke M. (2007). Standardising outcomes for clinical trials and systematic reviews. Trials, 8(1), 39. DOI: 10.1186/1745-6215-8-39. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cove J., Jacobi N., Donovan H., Orrell M., Stott J., Spector A. (2014). Effectiveness of weekly cognitive stimulation therapy for people with dementia and the additional impact of enhancing cognitive stimulation therapy with a carer training program. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 9, 2143-2150. DOI: 10.2147/CIA.S66232. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. D’Amico F., Rehill A., Knapp M., Aguirre E., Donovan H., Hoare Z., Hoe J., Russell I., Spector A., Streater A., Whitaker C., Woods R. T., Orrell M. (2015) Maintenance cognitive stimulation therapy: An economic evaluation within a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 16(1), 63-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2014.10.020. - DOI - PubMed