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EVALUATING RESULTS OF A 6 MONTH INTERVENTION PROGRAM

IN A DEMENTIA DAY CARE CENTER

Efthymiou, A., Karpathiou, N., Dimakopoulou, E., Nikolaou, K., Sakka, P.

ATHENS ASSOCIATION OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND RELATED DISORDERS

www.alzheimerathens.gr

• 150.000 demented patients in Greece

• 89% of patients cared for at home

• Principal caregivers

Dementia in Greece

DEMENTIA SURVEY , Greece 2005DEMENTIA SURVEY , Greece 2005

spouse (32%)spouse (32%)

children (50%)children (50%)

• 15 Memory Clinics organised from Neurology departments of General Hospitals

• 7 Day Care Centers

Dementia Day Care Center in Athens

Since February 2007, a Dementia Day Center for patients suffering from dementia and their families has opened in Athens.

The project is supported by European Social Funds (3rd Community Support Framework) and the Greek Ministry of Health with the responsibility of the Athens Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders.

Dementia Day Care Center in Athens

AIMS:

1. Training, help and support of patients suffering from Dementia (cognitive training, physical exercise, occupational therapy, art therapy)

2. Education and support of carers

3. Advocacy of patients’ and carers’ rights and needs

4. Increase of public awareness

5. Scientific research on Dementia

MemoryClinic

Dementia Day Care

Center

Cognitive trainingGroups /

Reminiscencesessions

Occupational Therapy/

Language Therapy

Support groups

For Caregivers

Physical training

programs

Increase of Public

Awareness

Help at HomePrograms

Managementof behavioural

disorders

Health Professionals

• 1 Psychiatrist – Scientific Supervisor• 1 Neurologist• 4 Psychologists• 2 Nurse• 1 Social Worker• 1 Speech and Language Therapist• 2 Assistant Personnel

Scheduling Therapeutic Intervention

• Physical examination • Neuropsychological

Assessment• Functional Assessment• Case History

Therapeutic framework

• Cognitive Training and Cognitive Stimulation

Cognitive training consists of a variety of exercises designed to help improve functioning in areas such as attention, memory, visual and auditory processing, language process, thinking skills and executive skills

• Patients were divided in 4 levels (8 groups- A, B, C, D), according to their cognitive and functional status, social skills and educational level

• Each group consisted of 8 – 10 members and was run by 2 coordinators

• The frequency of intervention was twice a week and every session lasted 50’

• The total number of participants was 75 Results of the intervention are presented for 65 participants.

• Statistical analysis was made with SPSS 13.0

Method

MethodNeuropsychological Assessment

• Test Administration: Neuropsychological tests:• MINI MENTAL STATE EXAMINATION• CLOCK DRAWING TEST (CDT)• GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE (GDS)• MONTREAL COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT (MOCA)• BOSTON NAMING TEST- 15SH (BNT)• FRONTAL ASSESSMENT BATTERY (FAB)• VERBAL AND CATEGORY FLUENCY • STROOP TEST• REY COMPLEX FIGURE

• Period of Intervention: 6 months• Reassessement: Test readministration

RESULTS

RESULTS

Descriptive Statistics

65 0 22 10,43 5,601

65

education

Valid N (listwise)

N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation

Results GROUP A

Neuropsychological assessment tSig.

(2-tailed)

MOCA_pre – MOCA_post-5,27 ,000

BNT_pre – BNT_post-2,95 ,009

VERBL Fl._pre-VERBAL Fl._post-4,32 ,000

CATEGORY Fl._pre- CATEGORY Fl._post-2,19 ,039

REYDELAYEDREC _pre – REYDELAYEDREC-post -2,11 ,046

ResultsGroup B & C

In group B & C analysis, there was no statistical significance between pre and post intervention

• In group D, there was a statistically significant difference (p= 0.17, p= 0,35) in post and pre intervention for the Category Fluency and Rey Complex Figure (copy condition)

Patients of that group had lower scores at post intervention assessment

ResultsGroup D

Neuropsychological assessment Ζ Sig. (2-tailed)

_Categ Fl _Categ Fl_post

-2.38(b) .017

REY copy_ REY copy_post-2.11(b) .035

Conclusions• The Dementia Day Care Users with Mild

Cognitive Impairment and early Dementia seems to benefit more from a well structured non-pharmachological program than patients in more severe stages of Dementia.

• Patients in medium and severe stage had a qualitative improvement in social abilities, mood, eye contact that couldn’t be depicted in neuropsychological assessment.

• In a following research it is essential the Quality of Life of Caregivers of Demented Patients is measured.

PHOTOS

Nomiki KarpathiouEleni Dimakopoulou

Efstathios TryfonopoulosTheofilos Krasakis

Danai KavouridiLena MargiotiNandia Avrami

Kartsaklis LykourgosKostas NikolaouParaskevi Sakka

CO

LL

EA

GU

ES