Multicenter randomized controlled trial of the effects of individual reminiscence therapy on cognition, depression and quality of life: Analysis of a sample of older adults with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a 13-week individual reminiscence therapy (RT) intervention on cognition, memory, executive function, mood, and quality of life of people with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Method: Non-protocolized analysis using data from a larger multicenter, single-blind, randomized, parallel two-arm RCT of RT for people with neurocognitive disorders. A sample of 148 people with probable Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia attending 23 Portuguese institutions providing care and support services for older adults were selected. Intervention group (n = 74) received 26 individual RT sessions, twice a week for 13 weeks. Control group (n = 74) maintained their treatment as usual. Outcomes were global cognitive function (MMSE), memory (MAT), executive function (FAB), mood (GDS-15), and self-reported quality of life (QoL-AD). All participants were assessed at baseline (T0) and 15 weeks later (T1). Results: The results showed a significant effect of the intervention on global cognition (Group X Time interaction F(1, 128) = 10.542, p = .001, ηp2 = .076), memory (F(1,128) = 9.881, p = .002, ηp2 = .072), and quality of life (F(1,128) = 0.181, p = .671, ηp2 = .001), with medium effect sizes. A small effect on executive function (F(1,127) = 11.118, p = .001, ηp2 = .080) was also found. No effects were found on depressive symptoms (F(1,128) = 0.181, p = .671, ηp2 = .001). Conclusion: Individual RT may have beneficial effects on cognition and quality of life of people with Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia.

Multicentre randomised controlled trial about the effect of individual reminiscence therapy in older adults with neurocognitive disorders.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of a 13-week individual reminiscence therapy (RT) intervention to improve the overall cognitive function, memory, executive function, mood and quality of life (QoL) of people with neurocognitive disorders. METHODS: A single-blind, multicentre, randomised parallel two-arm controlled trial recruited 251 people with neurocognitive disorders attending 24 institutions providing care and support services for older adults in Portugal. The primary outcome measure was cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]). Secondary outcomes were memory (Memory Alteration Test [MAT]), executive function (Frontal Assessment Battery [FAB]), mood (Geriatric Depression Scale-15 [GDS-15]) and self-reported QoL-Alzheimer's disease AD). Participants in the intervention group (n = 131) received 26 individual RT sessions, twice a week, over the course of 13 weeks. Participants in the control group (n = 120) maintained their treatment as usual. RESULTS: Intention-to-treat analysis showed that, at endpoint assessment, the intervention group had significantly improved in relation to the control group in MMSE (mean difference 1.84, 95% CI [0.80, 2.89], p = .001, d = .44), MAT (mean difference 2.82, 95% CI [0.72, 4.91], p = .009, d = .34) and QoL-AD (mean difference 1.78, 95% CI [0.17, 3.39], p = .031, d = .28). Non-significant improvements were found on FAB (mean difference 0.74, 95% CI [-0.04, 1.52], p = .062, d = .24) and GDS-15 (mean difference -0.63, 95% CI [-1.45, 0.19], p = .130, d = .19). CONCLUSIONS: For people with neurocognitive disorders attending social care and support services, the individual RT designed for this trial should be considered an intervention with the potential to improve cognition, memory and QoL.